In His Footsteps
by RC927
Summary: "Do you really think a girl like her could keep such a hold on an entire House of Fallen and live?" "...She can damn well try..."
1. Chapter 1

**HELLO! And welcome to my first Destiny fanfic! I hope to learn more about the game as I go, so if anything is wrong, please don't hesitate to let me know! I don't hate on constructive criticism. I hope you all find my story well-written! Please enjoy!**

**_Teira's older brother was KIA as a Guardian, and she wants nothing more than to walk in his footsteps. However, one good deed could change the entire tide of the war when she earns the trust of a small but strong House of the Fallen. She could put an end to the war between the humans and the Fallen. Or start an entire new war with those who refuse to accept this change. (Plot in Progress)_**

Earth had been an amazing planet that once thrived with life and technology that the humans had created. It was a thing of beauty and even through hardships, the human race had lived comfortably. Three men had been sent to Mars for the first time. Technology was on a heavily rizing path that led the race to their future.

Then the Traveler appeared. The news reports came in endless streams of the white orb that hovered extremely close to Mars. Everyone was amazed and even frightened by the thing.

Those who were scared, were rightfully so. They were the only ones who were prepared when the darkness attacked. Years of war passed. Millions were slaughtered in the first half-year. To humanity, it seemed that they were doomed to extinction. This was the fall of the Golden Age. However, when all hope seemed lost, the white orb descended onto the aliens and saved humanity to boot. Its light, however, was fading, and as it died, it sent upon humanity the Ghosts. These small machines act as companions to the Guardians, who risk their lives to fight against the darkness that looms once again.

"If you keep staring at that book any longer, you'll turn into a book yourself."

Teira glanced up and brushed some red-brown hair from her eyes as she glared at the woman in front of her. The older woman folded her arms as she leaned against the doorway to her daughter's room. Then she reached out and flipped on the main light, causing the girl to squint and sheild her eyes. The light revealed a plain room with light blue walls and a bed sat in the far left corner by a large window that overlooked the lower levels of the city, and the lower hemisphere of the Traveler. In the far right corner of the room, a teenage girl sat in a chair, a lamp to her left on a side table and a book resting in her lap.

"Mom, if I'm going to be a Guardian, I have to know everything there is to know about the Traveler!" She hissed.

"Yes, but staying up reading the same book over and over again until near midnight is not what Guardians would do."

"I know. Guardians can go days without sleep! I'm training myself for that!" The teenager argued.

"Tei, you're sixteen. You have many years before you will even be able to go into the Tower. For now, I need your help to run the shop. The bread and cakes won't make themselves you know. Besides, there are plenty of Guardians up there for now anyway."

"Why are you so against me being a Guardian mom?! Is it because Brandon was killed?!" Teira jabbed, suddenly standing from her black leather chair.

Her mother fell silent, her face falling, and Teira felt her face fall as well at the memory of learning of her brothers death. She had been close with her brother before his death. He had been twenty when he departed for the Tower to meet with the Speaker. He was twenty-three when he died. She remembered two people, a war-torn Exo Titan and a beautiful Awoken warlock had handed her brothers cape, folded neatly so that the golden wolf head faced up, to her mother. They had stayed for dinner that night and shared stories of her brothers bravery by the fireplace. The Awoken woman had burst into tears when she explained that she and Brandon were to be married. The event occured nearly four years ago. The teen folded her arms and closed her eyes, a psychological defense against the sting of the memories. A moment passed and she heard her mother sigh sorrowfully.

"I just don't want to lose you too. You're the only one I have left Tei... But I won't stop you from following your dream of defending our home."

Teira looked up just in time to see her mother leave the room. The girl stood there, dusky green eyes staring out into the bathroom that sat across the hallway. The mirror on the opposite side gave her a clear view of her form. She was thin, but not too thin. Her hair was shoulder length and cut into a layered style that added to her tomboyish gait. Her skin was light in color and she wore a black t-shirt with a white orb in the center of her chest. This represented the traveler.

She sighed and fell back into her chair, then ran a hand through her messy hair. She looked down at the book, having been tossed from her lap onto the floor. It laid open to a page of three people, two men and a woman. The first Guardians. Her eyes flicked up to her bed and back to the book before she reached down with a sigh, took the book, closed it, and placed it neatly on her desk before she walked to her bed and rested her head on her pillow. She closed her eyes and drifted off into a short slumber.

_Three Years Later..._

"Teira, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course it is! I know I saw it up here somewhere!"

A gloved hand gripped onto a jut in one of the red cliffs of Old Russia. Then a masked figure grunted as she hoisted herself over the edge. Her mask was bright blue in color that matched the dark blue and white of her armor. A tattered and slightly torn white and gold cape hung from around her neck as she climbed further up.

Several yards below, a heavily armored Exo stood with his arms crossed. His optics, glowing red in color, rolled in exasperation. He wore black and orange armor fitted for the Titan class, although he kept a sharp knife in a pocket in his pants, just in case.

"If you fall, I can't promise I'll catch you."

Teira turned her arm around, paused, and lifted her middle finger.

"You'll be the one missing out on the loot, Seraph." She laughed as she climbed higher. "Almost there!"

She grunted as she lifted herself up onto a flat jut in the cliff and she was able to stand. She dusted her attire off and glanced around, finally laying her eyes on a sliver and green chest in the shadows of the cliff. She cried out in glee and bounded toward it before she came skidding to a halt and fell to her knees as she put her fingers underneath the lid. Then she lifted the case up, grinning under her helmet.

Seraph sighed, his eyes scanning the area warily. They were in fallen Territory, which to a certain ninteen year old girl, was a land full of riches. Or so she hoped at least. He had to admit, she kept her family well fed with the money she obtained and earned from selling the armor to others who wanted it.

She had no idea what to do with the emgrams. However, that was why he was here.

If he was capable of smiling, he would have. The memory of how the two met still in his memory core. He had caught the girl, only seventeen at the time, trying to sneak into the Tower uninvited. He had told her that even though the darkness couldn't touch it, the Tower was still dangerous. She argued, and fought when he attempted to detain her and escort her home. He still kept the dent in his chest as a friendly reminder of how strong she really could be. It was a pity she wished to be in the Hunter class. She would have made an outstanding Titan.

Later he learned that she had been trying to take a box full of emgrams to the Tower to ask what she could do with them. A problem he easily took care of.

He looked up as he saw his friend peek over the edge of the cliff, grinning widely, before she tossed down a green orb. He caught it and stuffed it into a bag with two other white orbs.

"That's three in one day. Two more and it'll be a new record." He grunted as she began her climb down.

"I know. Which is why I'd love to stay out a little longer to search." She began.

"You know your mother would not agree to letting you stay out here past sunset." Seraph interrupted.

"You're with me, what should I have to worry about?" Teira chuckled as she stepped down onto another small crease, only to have it crumble and she yelped as she went tumbling down-

Straight into two robotic arms.

She sighed as her friend set her on the ground. Then she grinned at him as he gave her a scrutinizing glare. She then cleared her throat and held up her prize: A set of gauntlets and a hand cannon.

"These will sell nicely." She commented.

"We should get back to the city soon. The sun will start setting in an hour."

"Yeah, I know..." Teira sighed as she tucked her items away in her bag. "So when are you gonna take me to the Tower?"

"When is your twentieth birthday?"

Her face dropped. "Seven months.."

"I'll take you then."

"But that's seven months away!"

"If I take you any other day, it won't be as special. Besides, I have nothing else to give you for your birthday." Seraph retorted with a shrug before he pulled out his Ghost and called his ship.

Teira snorted and crossed her arms. "You're such a jerk.." Then she smiled softly. "But thanks. I'm glad you want to do something special for me on my birthday."

Seraph wished he could smile, however he just patted her shoulder as the ship came into view.

"Lets get you home, kid."

**And that's the first chapter! Sorry if you found it short, but I assure you that the chapters will get longer as I continue to write. All reviews are welcome! Thank you for reading, and I hope you all have a good day/evening!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! Thanks to all of you who submitted OCs to me! I'm shocked that I've gotten so many already! xD Anyway, some news of that. Yes, I am accepting OCs as long as you provide me with a Name, Class, Gender, and Species. Also, I'm only taking five Guardian OCs. I need three for a team and two for a team with the Warlock mentioned in this chapter. So they're gonna be Antagonists, or the bad guys for those with less intricate minds lol. If you don't mind me using your OC as one of those two, then feel free to mention that in your comment! Also, if you have art for your OCs, please let me know! If you link me art, then your OC has a higher chance of being chosen! If not, then give me a description of what they look like if you wish. Otherwise I'll just make it up myself. Thank you all for your time, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

"Mom, I'm home!"

The front door to the small apartment swung open and there was a light hiss as Teira removed her helmet. She tossed her black bag onto the rocking chair and untied her hair from its tight bun, revealing her red-brown hair that curled slightly and ended in the middle of her back. Seraph walked in behind her, his helmet already under his arm. He nodded politely as an older woman, now in her mid fifties, approached from the kitchen doorway.

Even in her older years, Teira's mother was pretty. Her hair was short and dark brown in color and she held a few light freckles on her cheeks. She held the same eye color as her daughter and wore a blue dress that ended loosely at her knees.

"You were almost late Tei. I swear if Seraph wasn't going with you-"

"I know, mom." Teira sighed as she unhooked her cape from around her neck. "Something smells good, what're you making for dinner?"

"Spaghetti and meat-balls." Her mother answered as she folded her arms and rolled her eyes in amusement.

"Awesome. No mushrooms, right?"

"Just how you like it." Her mother chuckled. "Seraph, would you like to stay here tonight? I hear there's going to be an awful storm soon, and Guardians have been advised to stay in the city for the next couple days. Supposed to be real bad up at the tower."

"Thank you for the offer, ma'am, but I have some engrams your daughter has retrieved, and I must go turn them in as soon as possible. I will return if the weather becomes too harsh."

"Alright. We'll be here."

Teira turned to her friend and they bumped their fists together. "See you Seraph."

"I'll return later. Goodbye, and enjoy your spaghetti, Kid."

Teira watched as her friend exited the house, then she turned to the hallway to her right and went down to the end where her room sat on the left side of the house. There she peeled off her armor and dressed herself in a loose shirt and shorts before she walked to the kitchen and made herself a plate for dinner while her mother ate and typed away on a calculator whilst scribbling down numbers on a pad of paper.

"It's a good thing you sell those weapons and armor bits, Tei. Otherwise we'd be eating canned peas and bread again." Her mother commented. "I might just have to keep you here forever to make us a living off of the loot you bring in."

"Not gonna happen." Teira responded in a sing-song voice as she sat at the small table. She eyed her food hungrily for a moment before she dove in. Her mother stared for a moment before she shook her head.

"You're so much like your father. It's almost scary." She laughed.

"An' that'th a good thing?" Teira asked around a mouthful of food.

"Brings back memories from before our divorce." Her mother sighed. "When things were a little happier."

Teira fell silent for a moment and furrowed her brows before she continued to stuff the noodles into her mouth. She only spoke once she swallowed and stared at her half-eaten plate. "Mom, I want to stay out in the out-lands for a while longer tomorrow. I promise that I won't stray from Seraph!" She said quickly.

"Tei.."

"I know you hate me being out late, but I want more time to find more chests! They're everywhere around the land and I can only search out so far every day." Teira reasoned. "If I have more time, it means I can travel out further and find more chests. Then I'll have more items to sell and we'll make more money."

Her mother remained silent for a moment before she let out a sigh. "Fine. If you can go tomorrow night without getting into trouble, then you can stay out during sunset. But you have to be home before eleven!"

Teira perked up in joy and cheered, her fist in the air. "Yes! Thanks mom!"

"Yeah.. Just don't make me regret it."

After dinner, Teira went to go sit in her room. She now had a bookshelf against the wall by her chair that held several books on all three shelves. She had a blue one in her hands as she sat cross-legged in her chair. A knock on the door was the only thing that caused her to lift her head, and she bolted up to greet her Exo friend. After a while of chatting with her mother, she and Seraph moved back to her bedroom where she pulled out a map of Old Russia and she also grabbed blue, red, and green markers.

"Okay, so," She began, circling an area in blue. "This is the area we've covered these past three weeks, and loot chests are running short. So, I say, starting tomorrow, we should go to the Terrestrial Complex and search around that area. What do you think?"

Seraph observed the map and crossed his arms. "Sounds like a good idea, although I've heard rumors of a strong House of Fallen in that area. We should be careful if we go there tomorrow."

"You've killed more than your fair share of Fallen before. I think we'll be fine."

"I hope so." Seraph sighed. "Get some rest. You'll need it for our journey."

Teira nodded and stretched with a yawn before she crawled into her bed and pulled the covers up to her shoulders as Seraph exited the room silently. He would always chat with her mother quietly before sitting down in the main room. He would keep watch on the house while the two women slept.

This night, he and his ghost researched the Complex as much as possible. If Exo's could have a gut feeling, his would set off warnings in his body of foreboding. At midnight, he sat back in his seat with a sigh as his Ghost dissolved, leaving only two pale red orbs in the darkness. His search had given him the info of the House of Kings. One of the strongest Houses of Fallen on Earth. However sightings of the Fallen were rare from that House. Perhaps they wouldn't run into any of them on their outing..

He could only hope.

"We'll have to pass through the Ship yard. It's the quickest way there."

"That's fine. We can just avoid any Fallen that we see."

Teira hummed a short note of thought as she stuffed an extra granola bar into her bag and she hefted her SHINGEN-C auto rifle over her shoulder and she checked to make sure her bag had some medical supplies in it before she shrugged it on over the neck of her cloak. She then turned to Seraph, her red-brown hair in her eyes slightly.

"Ready to go?"

Seraph turned and gave a nod as he placed his INVECTIVE shotgun in its holster. "Yes."

"Awesome. Mom, we'll be back later!" Teira called out.

"Okay. Be careful out there." Her mother responded.

The front door was already swinging shut before she could finish her sentence. Teira walked out into the slightly busy streets of the city. She blinked against the light of day and turned to Seraph who gave a nod and led the way to the makeshift airport, which was located about seven blocks away. The teenage girl strode along-side the Exo in such a routinely manner that everyone on their path didn't look twice like they had on the first day.

A silvery and slim-looking aircraft swooped down to the large concrete platform and Teira's cape flicked in the breeze the ship created as it landed. The two walked up to the aircraft and boarded silently. Teira always sat behind Seraph and would remain silent other than planning for the days travels.

The ride to the shipyard was only about twenty minutes long. The two were dropped off by the shores of the ocean and they headed up a hill that led to a broken and crumbling highway. They were under an archway when Teira finally spoke.

"How many Fallen do you think are going to be in there?" She asked.

"From what I've gathered, not many. However they are one of the stronger Houses of Fallen, so even in small numbers, they are still a threat." Seraph replied.

"I see. Though, where there's Fallen, there's bound to be a ton of loot to gather."

Seraph glanced at her. "You want to raid a House of Fallen.. For their loot? You're insane."

"I wouldn't be as fun if I wasn't." Teira responded in a sing-song voice as a crumbled old building came into view at the top of the road.

"There's the complex." Seraph said while pointing to the dark building.

It was certainly old and war-torn. Many holes were punched through the stone and brick walls and the place had scorch marks as signs of previous battle. The two approached the Complex and Seraph examined a large scorch mark.

"Looks like this is recent. There might be other Guardians here." He grumbled.

"Great." Teira groaned while rolling her eyes. "Think they're loot hunting too?"

"Probably not. Most Guardians know only one moral: Killing makes for a higher reputation. They're probably here to hunt the Fallen that reside in this area."

"Well they shouldn't be much of a problem then, right?"

"I hope so."

Erunan made a series of clicks underneath his helmet as he reloaded his weapon. The Fallen Captain growled at the taunts of a single Warlock Guardian. Damn those Guardians! All he wanted to do was scavenge in peace, yet here he was, being forced to take cover as his shields slowly recharged. A Dreg, who was in cover not too far from Erunan, peeked out of his hiding spot-

Erunan had to look away as his comrade's brain and blood were splattered across the wall and floor behind him. Now it was only him and the Guardian, who laughed and taunted the Fallen warrior in his language. For a moment he was glad they didn't make translators. He slowly peeked around the corner of his cover, and saw no Warlock in his line of sight.

Keeping his weapon raised, Erunan crept out from his cover and walked forward. There was a lot of stuff the Warlock could have been hiding behind, so he scanned the room warily. It was silent. Not even the sounds of breathing could be heard from the Guardian. The Fallen slowly walked out and held his breath. He eventually wandered to the middle of the area and stopped before looking into the puddle at his feet.

Something in the reflection moved.

He spun around and roared as the Warlock landed a blast of purple magic directly to his chest. The impact sent Erunan falling into the puddle of murky water. His breath was knocked out of him and he struggled to sit up, only to receive a boot to his chest and he was shoved back onto the ground. He then saw a fist flying at him and he grunted as the Warlock punched him directly in the face. The Guardian laughed and mocked him, then punched him again, and again, and again until a black ring stuck in his vision. Then the weight on his chest lifted and he struggled to get up. However he finally did and the Warlock stood directly in front of him.

Erunan let out a roar of fury and stumbled slightly before charging, fists ready. The Warlock side-stepped but was caught by the Fallen's second set of arms and was sent skidding back as Erunan turned and tackled him into a crumbling wall. The building shook and groaned from the impact- he thought he heard a crash and a shout from somewhere in the building, but he casted the thought away as his top right arm was seized in the Warlocks grip.

He recoiled and roared in agony after his arm was violently broken. He didn't have enough time to recover when the Warlocks fist came into contact with his head. His vision swam as he landed on his back. The Fallen sucked in a breath and rolled onto his stomach before struggling to get up and fight. He only recieved a kick to the ribs and was sent flying a couple yards. He grunted as he landed on his bad arm and for a moment he lay still. The Warlock kicked him again and he rolled over suddenly. He used his good arms to grab onto the Guardians legs and tripped him. The Warlock shouted and landed in the puddle. Erunan wasted no time in attacking the Guardian. He drew his sword, ready to end this, but as he lunged, something caught his shoulder.

He roared in pain as two bullets ripped through flesh and bone. He stumbled away, gripping his injured right shoulder with his left arm as blood seeped through his hand. He glanced up as the Guardian stood and laughed. He backed up as the Warlock stalked toward the wounded Captain while cracking his knuckles.

"You're about to enter a world of pain, pal."

_Meanwhile..._

"This place is so old..." Teira muttered as she brushed a gloved hand across a dusty old table. "It must hold so much history."

"One would hope, but most of the good stuff has been stolen by the Fallen. Chances of seeing it are slim to none. Unfortunately." Seraph sighed.

"That's a shame. Maybe we'll find some of the stolen things."

Seraph grunted in agreement. The duo had climbed to the third story of the building and Teira went out of her way to locate every possible chest she could find. She had already sniffed out one and held onto a common helmet in her bag.

The two approached a room with a large gaping hole in the floor, however this didn't stop Teira as she used some still intact tiles around the walls of the room to inch across. Seraph stayed behind and crossed his arms.

"Those tiles look a little unstable. You sure that's a good idea?"

She glanced up at him and he knew she was grinning. She inched out into the middle of the room carefully and stopped for a moment to adjust her footing.

"I'm fine so far, right?" She laughed.

Seraph was about to answer, however something on one of the lower floors created a loud crash and the walls vibrated. Some dust was kicked up and he looked up just in time to see the ground under his friend crumble and she shouted as she was sent plunging into the darkness.

"Tei!" He shouted when all fell silent. "Teira! Are you okay?"

The girl coughed and stood shakily as she dusted off her rear. "Yeah I'm fine." She called back. "I'm two floors below, fell on some old mattresses."

"I'll make my way to you. Stay put!" Seraph ordered.

"Sure thing." She called back.

Just as Seraph went storming off for the stairs, she heard another distant crash. She blinked against the darkness and her curiosity overcame her as she went to go investigate. She found a door that was closed and she attempted to push it open. She grunted as it refused to budge and she rammed her shoulder against it. It came down with a thud and she stumbled into a room filled with light from its windows.

Another thud. Then she heard some brief gunfire to her left. She jogged down the hallway and peeked through a doorway as she heard a mans voice. What she saw stunned her briefly.

A Fallen Captain staggered backwards as a Warlock walked towards it slowly. She watched the man raise his fist and a crack sounded off as his fist came into contact with the Captains jaw, then its stomach. The Captain fell to a knee and the Warlock laughed angrily.

"Giving up already? Do you wish for death now?" Another punch. "Where's the fight in you, huh?" A kick to the face.

The Captain groaned as it fell to the ground. Its lower set of arms tried to push itself up, but failed. Teira watched, a heavy feeling in her gut at the display. Was that how some Guardians acted? This was cruel, even if it was a Fallen! No living being deserved this kind of treatment!

The alien received another kick when she came out from her cover.

"Stop!"

**aaaaand it's a cliff-hanger! MUAHAHA! I'm so sorry lol. Thank you for reading and I hope to hear your comments for the next seven days! x3 Have a nice day/evening!**

**Also, for art or doodles of this story, you can visit my DeviantArt account! My username is RaNdOmCaT927!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello guys! Have I got some news for you!**

**I have one more chapter to go before I start using OCs that people have submitted! I still have yet to choose which ones will make a team of good and one of bad, but hopefully I can figure it out soon enough.**

**By the way, I've been getting a lot of OCs that are Exo characters. It's surprising that I've gotten like one or two human and NO Awoken! Profiles of OCs are still being accepted, and the guidelines for them are in the previous chapter. **

**Anyway, this chapter is a bit of a short one. I was cheated out of two days worth of writing 'cause my parents thought it was a good idea to ground me on Monday and Tuesday, sooo, yeah, the ending is a little rushed because I wanted to get it out on time. Which update days ARE every Wednesday if you all haven't noticed xD Although it may change a little bit if something happens.**

**I can't wait to hear from all of you and I hope you have a good day/evening! Enjoy the new chapter! **

"Stop!"

Everything froze, and was deafeningly silent save for the Erunan's ragged breathing. The Captain looked up and was surprised to see a female in armor holding up a hand cannon and it was aimed at the Warlock. Her arms shook and so did her voice when she spoke again.

"Leave the Alien alone." She demanded.

The man scoffed and turned to her, his arms out.

"Is this not what all Guardians do, girl? Destroy the Fallen for taking our home?"

"Nobody deserves to be beaten to near death." The girl hissed, her mask flicking as if she looked to the Fallen Captain. "Step away from it!"

"Or what? You'll kill me?" The man laughed.

A gunshot rang through the air and pelted the dust next to the mans foot, and his laughing suddenly stopped. He stared at the girl and Erunan knew she was glaring daggers at the man.

"Don't tempt me." She said shakily.

There was a moment of silence between the two. Teira swallowed nervously as she stared the man down. She never lowered her weapon, and thought herself prepared for what was most certainly her toughest challenge to date.

She heard the crack of a magic covered fist hitting her helmet before she felt it. The impact sent her onto the ground on her back and she grunted. There was now a crack in her helmet up the visor and she hissed as she tried to right herself from being disoriented. She stood to her feet, amazed that the warlock let her do so. Her helmet was near useless now. The radar flickered and died, so with a curse, she quickly removed the helmet and tossed it to the side.

The man tossed his head back and chuckled. "Ahh, it's a shame I have to harm such a pretty thing. However, you need to be taught a lesson." He growled.

"You mean the lesson of what a Guardian shouldn't be? I think I've learned that well enough." Teira retorted.

The man snorted. "You trying to insult me, girl?" He sneered.

Teira drew her knife and clenched her jaw in a silent answer. The man paused a moment, then lunged at her. Teira threw her arms up and blocked the punch that sent her skidding back, leaving marks in the dirt with her boots. She quickly retaliated before the man could move and the slashed his left arm with her knife. The blade tore through his cloak and he cried out as his blood was slung against a nearby piece of debris. He moved back and gripped his bleeding arm, and she gave him no time to recover as she charged, ready to slash again. He jumped to the side and gave her a solid punch to her back between her shoulders and sent her into the puddle in the middle of the room. She huffed as some mud as splashed onto her face, she wiped it off and stood before turning to face the man, knife ready-

Only to take a strong punch to the abdomen.

Teira gasped as the air was thrown from her lungs. She stumbled back and ducked under another punch before jumping away to try and catch her breath. The man followed her movements and he grabbed her wrist that held the knife before punching the side of her head. She grunted and fell against a piece of broken stone, dropping her knife in the process. The weapon clattered to the floor and the man scooped it up before lunging at her. She dove away and scrambled to her feet. When she was a few yards away, she drew her hand cannon and shot once blindly before she could aim correctly. She heard the man grunt as a bullet grazed his shoulder, but he lunged at her again with her knife in his right hand. She jumped out of the way of the knife, but wasn't ready when he grabbed a hold of her hair and yanked her head back so that her throat was exposed. He raised the knife before she could react, ready to kill her.

Then a thin sword erupted from the front of the mans helmet and stopped inches in front of her face just as the knife came down. The warlock's arm was jostled and the weapon stabbed itself into her shoulder. She cried out in pain as the dying man released her and the knife, then stumbled back and fell onto her backside as the alien tossed the warlocks body away with a growl.

Teira held her breath and stared with wide eyes when the Captain's eyes flicked to hers. His wounded arm twitched slightly and then his eyes flicked to the dagger that drew blood from her shoulder. The two stared for what seemed like an eternity before the alien drew back for a moment, then took a step toward her slowly. She blinked, and didn't dare let her breath escape. She sat perfectly still, as to not startle the Captain into thinking she'd attack. However, this made the alien curious. So he came ever closer until she could make out the details of the scratches and dents in his face mask.

She heard him growl something in his strange language, then one of his lower arms was raised. Teira swallowed and closed her eyes as his hand neared the knife in her shoulder. Then she yelped when the dagger was removed with a single pull. She flinched away and gripped onto her wound, hissing in pain. Her actions were interrupted when her savior took a couple steps back, a throaty noise coming from him, probably interpreted as laughter.

Then there was a pause, and he grumbled something that she had to mentally process in order to believe it.

"Th..ank. Yo..ou."

Then there was a noise from another room close by and she heard Seraph make a curse before he came into the room and he froze. Teira gave a start and turned, only to find that the alien had vanished. Although she thought she saw a set of four blue eyes disappear into the shadows of another doorway.

"Teira. What happened?" Seraph exclaimed after seeing the dead Guardian on the floor.

She turned to her friend, her hand still on her bleeding shoulder. Her eyes flicked from the dead warlock to Seraph and took a breath.

"He attacked me first, and... I was saved." She said simply.

Seraph looked around, frowning under his helmet. "Saved? By who? Where are they?"

Teira smiled softly and looked over to the shadows where the Captain had vanished.

"Honestly Seraph... You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

/

"Mom, it was just a scrape. You don't have to stress yourself out so much."

Her mother gave out a tense huff, the womans red-brown hair was a mess as she paced the living room. Teira and Seraph rested on the two seated couch by the fire place while Seraph patched up her shoulder. Her mom stopped at the far end of the fire place, one arm crossed to the other side and one hand over her mouth. The woman shook her head.

"You mean to tell me that you just fell because of some old debris and cut yourself that deep? Teira that is a knife wound! I would know." Her mother retorted.

"Yeah, I told you already. I fell, my knife slipped from its holster, and I landed on it funny. That's all that happened."

Seraph kept quiet. He had promised not to tell the truth to Teira's mother after the girl explained that if her mother knew the truth, then she would be forbidden to ever go out of the town again. So he kept quiet.

Her mother huffed and lowered her arms as she stared at her daughter. She then gave out a sigh and sat in a rocking chair.

"Okay. If that's what really happened. At least I can trust Seraph to keep you safe."

The two exchanged a knowing glance but said nothing. Afterward, Seraph cut the stitch thread and tied it off before leaning back. Teira gave the stitches a test and nodded in satisfaction, then she stood up with a short yawn.

"It's been a long day. I'm gonna get to bed. Goodnight mom, Seraph."

Before any of them could say anything, she was already walking hastily to her room where she simply fell onto her bed with a huff. She rolled onto her back and rested her hands over her stomach as she stared at the celing. The Captain was still out there in the Complex, and he was wounded. However, his House must have had something to help with that, right?

She sighed and closed her eyes. Something about that Captain was off. Not in a bad way, she thought, but a Fallen acting in such a way was unheard of. Perhaps, though, it was because nobody ever gave them a chance after they invaded Earth. They have always been listed as 'kill on sight' foes. She smiled softly to herself as she began to drift off into sleep.

She would dive deeper into this mystery of the Fallen Captain. Perhaps start a new beginning between the two races. Maybe even make the Fallen the Humans allies.

She would never know how much Humanity needed it in the years to come...

**I honestly didn't even notice that my line breaks were being deleted! I hope my first two chapters weren't too confusing without the breaks lol so yeah, those little slashes will have to do until I can figure out what else I can do for breaks. haha. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Another rather short one I'm afraid, but I hope it will be a fairly good one for you all.**

**Also, I'm moving my update dates to Fridays and Mondays. Now let me explain. I'm a senior in High School, so a lot of my time is spent trying to keep up on school work, and a LOT of my free time is spent playing Destiny with my boyfriend. So, while I have a lot of experience with the game and its story so far, I find myself short on time to write, hence the short and sometimes shittily written chapters.**

**So, instead of one deadline per week, I have two. So, say I miss the Friday one next week. I'll have the weekend to write as much as possible and post the chapter on Monday instead. It shouldn't be too confusing or difficult, seeing as I have the outline of each of the new chapters written out in a notebook that I own. xD**

**Anyway. As for OC updates, I'm constructing a list still of candidates, but I still need two Villains that would be the Warlocks friends/team looking for revenge. MUAHAHAHHA but no. I need evil OCs big time. Otherwise I'll use some of the ones I have now and your OC might be a bad guy, regardless of if you care or not.**

**Finally, I hope you all enjoy the short chapter! Hoping they'll get longer in the future! Peace!**

"Teira, your shoulder hasn't had a chance to heal yet, and you're already planning another trip?"

Teira rolled her eyes and sighed as her mother scolded her yet again. "Mom my shoulder's not that bad, and yes, I didn't find any loot yesterday so I need to make up for that. Anyway, shouldn't you be getting ready for your flight?"

"Yes.. Caitlyn and the others really need me. I'm sorry Teira, I'll be back within a week and if something happens, you'll be the first to know. Okay?"

"I know mom. Tell them all I said hi, will you?"

Her mother gave a nod and turned to finish packing her bags. The house had recieved a call earlier that morning, and it had been a group of scientists that were stationed up on the moon. Her mother had been the head of said team before she retired after Brandon was born. Apparently the had found something big, and wanted her mother to attend and help study what they had found.

She had no problem with her mother leaving. After all, the woman loved what she did with that group, and Seraph promised to play baby-sitter for the week anyway, so there was nothing to worry about.

Right?

Teira shook her head and scoffed quietly. There were more important matters at hand, like the Captain she had vowed to locate once again.

It had been three days since the Warlock had been killed, and there was still no word on his revival, so she assumed he was dead for good. She had also sent Seraph out to search for the Captain, however her friend always returned with no sightings of a wounded Fallen Captain. There were always plenty of Dregs or Vandals, but no Captains. She was always disappointed when that news came, yet she couldn't figure out why. Seraph said that she might have wanted to repay him for saving her, she just didn't know how.

But no. She knew that wasn't the real reason. If she could just communicate with the Fallen, create some type of alliance and help rebuild what had been destroyed by the pointless war, then nobody would have to live in fear of an attack on the city. The people wouldn't have to be confined to the one city. Life for humanity could be happier again!

That was her goal at least.

She let out a frustrated sigh and crossed out another part of her map of Russia. All that remained was to search around the skywatch and airplane graveyard.

"He has to be there..." She hissed as she heard the front door open and her mother greeting Seraph.

"Hello Ma'am." He would reply as usual. "Teira told me that you were leaving for an extended amount of time. You needn't worry. She'll be in safe hands."

"I know. Try not to let her get into anymore trouble while I'm away, Seraph. That girl is up to something in that room of hers." Her mother sighed. "Anyway, I'm off. My flight is departing in a couple hours."

"Understood Ma'am. Have a safe trip."

The front door closed, and Teira stayed hovered over her map. She didn't need to look up to tell that her friend was standing in the doorway. She sighed through her nose and rolled up her map.

"You think we'll find him soon, Seraph?" She asked.

"I don't know. I still don't know why it's so important. It's just a Fallen." The Exo scoffed.

"He saved my life, Seraph. And if we can forge an alliance with the House of Kings... We would have the strongest House on our side! This war with the Fallen might as well be over if we can just talk to them." Teira grumbled.

"Teira, do you honestly think they'll even listen?"

She paused, remembering when she told Seraph of what really happened. He was shocked, to say the least. Then she got a scolding from him for not telling the truth straight away, but he promised not to tell her mother.

"I don't know, Seraph." She glanced up at him. "But I feel like we have to try at least."

He folded his arms and leaned in the door frame. She knew that look. So she stood and crossed her arms as well.

"I'm going out with you tomorrow." She stated.

"Your shoulder hasn't healed."

"I don't care."

"Teira-"

"I'm going."

The Exo huffed and unfolded his arms. "You're damn stubborn. Fine. But no physical work for you. And no wandering off either." He ordered.

She gave a nod. "Tomorrow it is then. Now, what's for dinner?"

/

"Erunan. The Kell wishes to speak with you."

Erunan growled and lifted his head groggily. One of the Kell's guard, Kalyvaaz, stood in front of him, arms crossed and standing tall. He stood up slowly and swayed a bit. His wounds had yet to heal fully and he had the feeling that his shoulder that was shot with a gun had the telltale signs of infection, if the light fever he experienced the day before had been anything to go by.

"What does he want?"

"A council with you and the Guard. Something is happening, and we feel like you might have something to do with it."

"Right. Let's not waste time then."

Kalyvaaz nodded and turned to lead the way to the Kell's den. Erunan had been friends with the guard in the past. This was long forgotten after his friend was added to the Guard. Erunan eyed the four holsters that each held a powerful hand cannon. The guard also wore the helmet of a long-dead Titan and had slightly bulkier armor than that of other guards. He had a talent that none other could master: He was a slayer of Guardians. None could get near him without being detected and they were dead before they even hit the ground. The only thing left behind were four smoking bullet holes in their chests.

"What is happening, Kal?"

The guard was silent for a moment. "...The Warlock that had been slain three cycles ago. The body had not been disposed of, nothing has moved it, yet it has vanished."

"Is that not common with Guardians-"

"It's Ghost still remains in the spot where it was killed. We are unsure as of why, however the Kell want's answers that do not pertain to this. I cannot say more." Kalyvaaz growled.

Erunan fell silent. Guardians were never separated from their little contraptions called Ghosts. It was what tied them to the Traveler and its light. It was their life source. This was something to cause some concern in the Captain. He remembered that the behavior of the Warlock had been dark at best. Most Guardians simply killed and left the bodies to lay in peace, but not him. He was simply evil. This was unheard of.

It wasn't until they reached the doors that led to the throne room that he realized he'd been lost in thought. The doors were pushed open by Kalyvaaz and Erunan was only slightly surprised to see the entire guard standing in the room. His old friend certainly did not lie when he said the entire guard would be there.

He was led into the middle of the room and stopped to let Kalyvaaz take his place among his ranks. He almost felt like he was being tried for a crime with the way the whispers died down to a still silence, and they waited for the Kell to speak.

"Captain Erunan. I do hope your wounds are not bothering you."

Erunan tensed. The Kell spoke with a tone that betrayed the words he spoke. He watched as their leader rose from his seat. A moment passed, and Erunan could not hold his words any longer.

"My Lord. What do you require of me?" He asked carefully.

The Kell stared at him, eyes narrowed. "The Warlock that had been terrorizing our House was killed three cycles ago. This Guardian had slain your brothers in arms with ease. Sixteen Captains fell to his blood-stained hands, yet you... You live after encountering the Warlock and the murderer lies dead. What makes you so different from the others?"

Erunan's breath caught. The Kell was suspicious because the Warlock hadn't killed him? He wondered if he should lie to his leader. Could he? Moments passed and Erunan still went without answering his Kell.

"Have you lost your Tongue, Captain?" He sneered.

"Someone came to my aid, my Lord." Erunan finally answered. "They distracted the Guardian long enough for me to kill him."

"You companion did not die, as there were no other bodies. And no other Fallen in this entire House has confessed to helping you survive. So that leaves one other option."

Erunan recoiled as some of the Guard began to snarl the word 'traitor' into the room.

"You had to have worked with the enemy." The Kell accused. "And you let them leave with their life. What say you?"

The Captain took a step back nervously. "She stopped the Warlock from torturing and killing me-"

"So you felt honor-bound to let her go? Do you confess then? Are you a traitor?"

"My loyalty lies with you, my Lord! The human means nothing to me now, and she would die without hesitation from me if I ever saw her again!" Erunan retorted.

"Then hunt her. Bring her to me, alive, so that she may see her error in aiding the enemy."

The Kell turned and fell back into his throne. His upper left arm supported his head as he leaned on it. Two guards stepped forward with the wave of the Kell's hand and stomped toward the disgruntled Captain menacingly. Erunan took a step back and snarled at them as they reached to detain him.

"Oh, and one more thing, Captain..." The Kell began.

Erunan glared at the leader of the House of Kings.

"You have one seven-cycle. Otherwise, you will be hunted and killed by my most skilled hunter, Kalyvaaz."

The Captains eyes flicked to his old friend, and the guard turned his head away in silent shame, refusing to look at the betrayed face of his former friend and comrade.


	5. Chapter 5

**I know what you're all thinking.**

**"Wow another update so soon?! What type of sorcery is this?!"**

**Well, You see, I got to writing, and when I felt like the chapter was good, I wanted to post it and start the next one asap, so that way I don't have to wait until friday to overload you all with posts. xD**

**Plus today is technically an update day as well~ You're welcome.**

**Anywho, I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but Ferro and Kalyvaaz both belong to The Baz. Yes, I'm already starting to use OCs, but only the ones I want in my story 100%. I've still got quite the list put together, so keep reading to see if your OC makes the cut!**

**The chapters will start to get longer, I promise.. eheh.**

**Enjoy~**

"I see your Warlock failed."

"He was dispensable. A pawn to get the uncertainty of his kind out into the world."

A black-cloaked figure stood from an old chair and stared up at a slightly broken and large screen that had a trace of static over the image displayed. It was an image of the Traveler and the city below it.

"Converting light into darkness." He lifted his hand and a dark swirl of energy engulfed it. "The Corrupted will serve me after they leave their broken God."

"Your army yet grows, sir."

The man lowered his hand. "Yes. There is much to do still."

The other figure saluted and walked out of the room, leaving the man alone. He sat back in his chair and supported his head with his left hand.

"Those damned Guardians won't know what hit them." He chuckled to himself, a toothy grin illuminated by the screen, and five eyes of red began to glow behind his seated form..

/

Elizabeth Reynolds tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair impatiently as the moon came into view on the console in front of her. Her eyes skimmed over the information displayed. The science team on the moon, guarded by six guardians, had discovered a huge pocket of energy deep within the tunnels of the rock that orbited earth. The charts that were sent to her were astronomical. Such energy had not been seen since the arrival of the Traveler centuries ago.

"Liz, you awake?" A voice said suddenly, causing her to jump.

"Yeah Ferro. I hear you." She replied as the face of an Awoken appeared on the console. He had mid-length grey hair and slightly aged skin as well. He had been an old friend of her family and visited often before Brandon had died. The man was of the Hunter class and it certainly showed. "Are you one of the Guards on the Moon?"

"Yeah. The Speaker asked me personally to oversee that nothing happens to you or your team." The older Awoken answered.

"Well, it's good to see you again. I'll be landing soon enough."

"I know, your aircraft is already in sight. I'll meet you at the campsite."

"Acknowledged. See you soon old man." She snickered.

He scowled before the transmission vanished. The data logs opened back up and she sighed quietly. Chances were that not all of her old team would be present. She knew of one of them who was killed on the field. Another retired not long after she did. As for the other three, she had no idea.

Ten minutes passed before she felt the ship begin to slow. She looked out the window and squinted through the moon dust that the air kicked up. She was most certainly on the moon, probably in the southern hemisphere. Once the ship came to a full stop, she stood and made her way to the exit. There she dressed in a safe-suit so that she could survive in the atmosphere of the moon. The doors opened after she finished dressing into the suit and she dropped onto the moon. A bunker sat several yards in front of her, and she walked to it quickly. The doors to it opened to a pressurized room and it would seal before opening to the main room after it was safe to open.

She removed her helmet and walked into the room where a group of five people looked up. She recognized two of her old team members. Both were human and male. One had scruffy brown hair with the makings of a thick beard on his wrinkled face and the other had slick black hair and glasses. Ferro was there as well.

"Richard, Tom." She greeted as they stood up, both smiling.

"Liz! What a surprise." Tom laughed sarcastically. "Glad you could make it. I figured you'd want to see what was down here." He said while Richard patted her back.

"So I was told. So, do you know what it is exactly?"

"We haven't had the chance to get close enough to know." An older woman grumbled. Her greying hair was tied back in a neat bun and one of her eyes was pure white. "We hired these Guardians to clear a path for us so that we may examine the area of the power spike."

"Good to hear I made it just in time then. When are we heading out?" Elizabeth said, rubbing her hands together eagerly.

Tom and Richard grinned at eachother.

"We're going tomorrow." Ferro announced.

/

Erunan growled to himself as he sat crouched at the mouth of a cave that sat high in a rock wall and overlooked the plane graveyard, watching the snow fall from the cloudy sky. His breath huffed out in clouds of mist and he closed his eyes. To hunt the one who is the reason that he is still alive, just to prove his loyalty to his Kell. It was absurd! She didn't deserve to be tortured for helping him out of kindness. Yet he would be killed if he did not comply to his Kell's wishes.

So he waited.

He had learned through eavesdropping that the girl and her Exo friend scoured the land often in search of loot chests. He guessed that she had been doing just that when she stumbled upon him five cycles ago. He sighed. He had only five more cycles before Kalyvaaz would take to hunting and killing him if he did not return to his Ketch with the girl. He only had to figure out how to separate her from the Exo, he knew she wasn't strong enough to fight him off alone, even in his injured state.

Speaking of which...

He stood and moved deeper into the small cave before he sat against the little rock in the middle of the room. Slowly and carefully, he removed his armor around his wounded shoulder and let the armor clatter to the ground. He grimaced underneath his helmet at the sight of the, no doubt infected, wound. He took a hold of his cape and used his two left arms to tear a strip from the cloth. Then he tied the cloth around his shoulder before replacing his armor over the makeshift bandage.

He hoped it would heal soon. The constant burning was beginning to annoy him.

He glanced up and out the entrance to the cave. He knew the next day cycle was about to start with the way the sky was beginning to become lighter. He would remain in the graveyard. The girl had to pass through eventually, and he would be ready to take her away. Even if he had to kill her friend.

He would _not _fail.

/

"Seraph, the only place we haven't searched are the Mothyards and on! I know we're so close to finding him!"

Seraph sighed and folded his arms. "Teira, it's been five days since you saw this thing. If he's not in the Complex, then he's probably dead."

"You don't know that. If you don't take me to the Mothyards today then I'll go by myself." Teira threatened.

"You don't have a ship." Seraph accused.

"I'll get a ride from someone else."

He turned to her, suddenly angry. "Teira, this is a _Fallen _we're talking about! Why do you care so much?"

"I have so many questions, Seraph. I need to try to ask him." She retorted.

"And how do you plan on asking him? Huh? You don't speak their language."

"Your Ghost can analyze their speech patterns and make a translator. I'm shocked nobody has done that yet." She retaliated.

"You realize how long that will take?" Seraph argued, then stopped when his ghost appeared.

"Making a basic two-way translation function would take exactly two days, three hours, eight minutes and twenty-nine seconds from now." It said. "Shall I start right away?"

"Yes." Teira said before Seraph could react. She smiled at him and folded her arms as the Ghost got straight to work.

Seraph sighed and closed his optics as he facepalmed. His ghost just stared innocently.

"Alright, we'll go out after lunch and look in the Mothyards."

"Awesome! Thanks Seraph." The girl cheered before hugging her friend.

He made a noise that resembled someone clearing their throat and he patted her back. "Uh.. Yeah. Go get something to eat kid."

She nodded and ran off to the kitchen to find something to eat. Meanwhile, Seraph leaned against the doorway and sighed in slight annoyance. That girl was so bold and careless. He knew it would be the end of her, but, he couldn't blame her. She had such a taste for adventure and danger that it could rival any of the strongest guardians out there.

He heard the microwave in the kitchen beep and she went to sit in the living room with a bowl of canned beef stew and a soda. He watched her eat the hot stew quickly and only five minutes had passed before she was done and went to wash her dishes. He gave a sigh and walked to the kitchen.

"You know, eating that quickly isn't healthy." He grumbled.

She turned and smiled sheepishly as she cleaned her bowl. "Yeah I know, I'm just eager to find the Captain." She admitted.

"I wish I shared the same enthusiasm as you. I'm just here to protect you." He sighed.

Teira gave him a slightly surprised look.

"Seraph. You're more than just my baby-sitter. You're my best friend! I don't see any of my other friends taking me out every single day to explore the lands outside of the city." She retorted. "In all honesty, you're kinda like the father I wished I had."

His optics flicked to her. He wished he could smile, but he settled for a chuckle instead. "An Exo for a father? That'll be the day." He laughed, and she smiled at him. "Go get your stuff kid. We're burning daylight."

"Aye Sir!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey Guys! I know it's a day early, but I was just too excited to wait and post this on Monday, so here it is! The longest chapter in the story to date! xD**

**Anyway, about the OCs. I'm extending the time to send in more profiles to midnight of tomorrow (12:00am EST, USA) so that others may have more time to enter OCs. After that time though, OC requests will be closed. I'm also going to create a poll on my profile based on the story soon, and I'll let you know when it's up through another chapter update. **

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! It's rated T+ for some blood and gore, but it's nothing that bad, I promise. **

"There's the entrance to the Chamber."

Elizabeth peeked up over the edge of the ridge and down into a bowl shaped area. The Guardians all lifted their weapons, ready for battle. She observed the Hive that sat around neutrally at their posts. One of the Hunters activated her active camo and leaped over the ridge and into the bowl where she snuck up behind a Knight with her shotgun.

The echoing blast sent all but Ferro over the ridge and into the battle to clear out all of the enemies. Bullets flew swiftly and the battle was over in minutes. One of the Guardians gave the thumbs-up and Ferro led the scientists to the chamber entrance. Elizabeth observed the area and the tunnels that they traveled through. Reports showed that the energy source came from about three kilometers from within the moon, so they would have to travel quite a way to reach their destination.

For the next few hours, there was a pattern: The scientists would stay back with Ferro while the others took out all hostiles, then they would continue onward until another group of enemies would appear into sight. Then the cycle would repeat. It was effective, but she had a feeling in her gut that if something appeared behind them suddenly, then the scientists could be easily slaughtered. Ferro would put up a good fight, but would he be enough?

The Guardians from up ahead gave the signal to proceed after a long hallway was cleared. Elizabeth was the first to move, and she had to step over several bodies of the Hive. Two of the Guardians- a titan and a warlock- went to scout up ahead while the others waited behind for the scientists.

She looked over to Ferro and frowned under her mask. A couple of the people she didn't know were chatting excitedly about being fairly close to their intended destination. She was excited too, but nervous as well. Something just didn't sit right, being this far down beneath the Moon's surface. It gave her the chills thinking of what could emerge from the darkness beyond.

The hallway came to a sharp bend and ran into a single room at the end. The doorway was large and slightly crumbled due to its age. There was no sight of the two guardians who had left. The group moved into the room, weapons raised by the guardians. There was no sign of... anything. It was just an empty room. The only point of interest was something that resembled some kind of altar.

One of the women scientists cheered in excitement and rushed ahead with one of the men to examine the relic. This was her first and last mistake.

With a mighty roar, Hive soldiers came dropping from the high celing and through little doors that came open, hidden behind the walls of the room. The Guardians sprang into action as fast as possible, but it wasn't enough to save the woman as a Knight ran its sword through her chest and swung up, effectively cutting her in half. Her blood was slung across the floor, dead eyes staring up.

They were overwhelmed in minutes. With two guardians down, and only four left to fight, the group lost ground steadily. Elizabeth turned to the door they came through to escape the hoarde-

and it slammed shut.

"No! No! No!" She shouted and pounded her fist on the door. "Ferro! Our escape's been blocked!"

The Awoken turned after killing another Acolyte and cursed. "Keep fighting back! I'll get my ghost to open it back up!"

He moved to go unleash his Ghost. The battle raged on behind him and his old friend. He took a glance at her for a second before going to turn back to the battle, weapons ready. Then something small and blue landed in front of him. He didn't even have time to shout grenade when it exploded, sending him flying and he landed behind a broken wall. The back of his head smashed into the ground and he felt a few ribs crack under the impact. After a moment, he attempted to get up, only to feel a flash of agony and his world faded to black.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth forced herself to stand and she could only watch as the Hive forces overwhelmed the Guardians. Ferro had vanished when the grenade exploded. She wiped her burning face, not surprised to see a mark of blood stain her glove. She then looked up again and saw three knights appear from the depths. Then a man, dressed in Titan armor, and a woman in Warlock robes emerged. They were the two who had gone to scout.

The Warlock raised a hand, and a black mist appeared around the remaining Guardians. They shouted in confusion as their weapons were ripped from their hands and the Knights swept in and captured all three in one moment. This left the five remaining scientists without protection. Then, the Woman spoke with malice.

"Capture the Guardians. Dispose of the rest."

Nobody moved, then suddenly one of the older scientists was tackled by a Thrall and was torn to bloody pieces. Tom and Richard were shot and killed by an Acolyte. Another man got hit by a Wizard. Finally, she was the only one remaining.

Elizabeth could only stand, helpless, as the Knights sword came down...

/

"Teira, if you're not careful, then your stitches will come loose."

Teira sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine Seraph. You act like my arm might fall off at any given moment." She teased as she lifted herself over a rock and stood on it, hoping to get a better view of the land. She raised her arm and kept her hand over her forehead to shade her eyes from the sun.

The entire Mothyards sat in front of her eyes. The rusted planes sat unmoving for many years. Several groups of Fallen kept inside them for shelter from the heavy snow that fell. It was winter in Russia, so naturally she dressed in layers. Seraph however, felt no need to dress differently since he felt no difference in temperature.

And to top it all off, she still hadn't had time to buy a new helmet for herself. So she stood with a scarf around her neck and shoulders, and a hat to keep her head warm.

"So where do you think we should search first?"

"I say lets start here and search our way down. That way we can scope out the entire area today." Seraph answered.

"Good idea. Mind taking care of those pesky fallen down there? The red ones are okay to kill." She smiled.

Seraph gave a grunt and jumped down to face the Fallen soldiers. Teira remained there, as was ordered by her friend before to avoid all combat at all costs. She reluctantly agreed, so there she stayed until the sounds of gunfire began. She toyed with some snow and took a deep breath of the crisp winter air. Snow covered the planes and the ground and it would have been beautiful if not for the fallen soldiers everywhere.

She should have brought a camera.

"It's clear!" She heard Seraph call.

"Alright, I'm coming!" She called back before moving to make her way down to the waiting Exo. She felt excitement bubble in her gut, a feeling she only got every once in a while, and it meant that something good would happen. She would find the Captain today. She knew it.

/

There was gunfire. But that was nothing new. There was always gunfire outside.

Erunan sighed as he sat in the far corner of his cave, his lower set of arms in his lap and his upper left arm gently felt the right one at the break. It was the last wound he had to tend to, and it was his least anticipated. He found the break in the bone hours ago and had attempted to set it straight again, but to no avail. He was forced to wait until the pain subsided before he tried again.

Which was now.

His hand shook as his fingers traced over the broken bone. Then with a growl, he pressed his hand as hard as he could to try and align the bones. Only two seconds passed before he gave a shout in pain and was forced to remove his hand. He huffed out clouds of breath at a more rapid pace and swallowed.

The gunfire outside continued, then stopped and was followed by a male shout. Then a females voice echoed across the graveyard.

Erunan stopped suddenly. He recognized that voice!

He quickly stood, swayed slightly, and bolted for the entrance of the cave. There he stopped and he squinted through the heavy snow that fell. He heard some faint laughter from the female echo to him. He narrowed his eyes in the direction of the sound and saw two figures, not too far away, walking through the snow together. He knew he saw the faint hue of orange hair from the shorter figure. It was most certainly the girl he had been waiting for! But how to get her attention?

He growled in thought and looked at his belt. One grenade hung on it. It would have to do. He quickly took it from its place and stepped back before he tossed it so that it landed in the doorway of the cave. The explosion was loud and left a bright blue-purple light in its wake for a good ten seconds before it faded.

If the sudden excited chatter from the girl was anything to go by, he assumed it had worked. So he moved to the little rock in the middle of the room and sat against it with a content sigh. Now all he had to do was separate them, and then get her back to his Ketch and present her to the Kell.

Something in his gut twisted in guilt, causing him to flinch slightly. He shook his head and growled to himself. He had no choice but to capture the girl. Perhaps he could lure them both to the Ketch and let the soldiers there overwhelm the Titan. No, that would endanger the entire House. He'd still be killed for leading them there.

He sighed. He would have to catch her in a moment where she was alone.

He didn't raise his head when the excited shouts of the girl grew louder. He heard some rocks crumble as the two landed at the mouth of the cave. The Exo set the girl down and she stared at the Captain with her wide green eyes.

His gut twisted and he stood slowly.

She turned to the Exo and spoke her language. The Exo gave a nod and brought out his Ghost. Then the girl took three steps forward and faced him boldly.

"It's about time I found you."

Erunan flinched slightly when her voice was distorted to a broken version of his language. He stared at her a moment before lowering his head slightly.

"It seems that we have been searching for eachother simultaneously. I am called Erunan." He responded, the ghost echoing slightly in her language as he spoke.

"I'm Teira, and this is Seraph." She said, taking a step forward. "I have some questions for you, Erunan." She paused as she watched him hold onto his broken arm. "...but I think those questions can wait. You're hurt still." She pointed out.

"I doubt a child like yourself knows how to set bones correctly." He sneered darkly.

"No. But Seraph does a little bit." She turned to him. "Right Seraph?"

The Exo folded his arms, then shrugged. "I've set broken bones before on wounded guardians. But never on a Fallen." He sighed. "However, I suppose you'll make me try anyway, so I may as well."

Teira smiled and chuckled before turning to Erunan, serious again. "You won't mind, would you?" She asked.

Erunan paused. He didn't want to go through the embarassment, but letting them interact with him would let him gain their trust. So he sighed softly, swallowed his pride, and shook his head.

"No. I do not mind."

So he went to the back of the cave and sat while the Guardian approached and took a knee beside his broken arm to examine it. Teira sat on the rock in the middle of the room and rubbed her shoulder. Erunan then remembered the knife that had cut her flesh.

"Your shoulder." He started. "Has it began to heal?"

She gave a short nod. "Yes." She answered. "Slowly, but yes. You're looking better too, save for the broken arm. Fallen must be pretty quick healers if you healed all those cuts already." She pointed out.

He shifted as the Exo gave a little pressure on his arm. "Yes. My kind are quick to heal exterior wounds."

"I see." She smiled at him, then tilted her head. "So... Why didn't you kill me too back there? Was it because I stopped the Warlock from killing you?" She asked.

Erunan fell silent and lowered his head slightly. "...Yes, in the basic form of explanation."

She grimaced. "So why are you all the way out here then?"

"My Kell temporarily exiled me so that I may relearn how all humans and Guardians are to be killed no matter what." He huffed.

"Well I can see now that that lesson has yet to come through." She commented. "but that's a good thing." She added quickly.

Erunan almost replied if not for the Exo to cut him off.

"Teira, get into your bag and get me some materials for a splint. He's gonna need it when I'm done." He informed. "Not your normal kind of break, buddy. Your bone was broken at an angle and won't stay in place if I just leave it." He sighed as Teira dug through her bag in search of the requested items. "Now, this is gonna hurt."

Erunan barely had time to brace himself when the Exo mercilessly applied pressure to his arm at an uncomfortable angle. He gritted his teeth under his mask to keep from shouting in pain and to avoid hitting the Guardian. He dug his lower set of hands to the ground and finally there was a distinct pop sound as the bone in his arm went into place. He let out a grunt and Teira came over with some materials in her arms. The pain then started to subside and he slowly relaxed as the Exo began making a splint. Teira looked at him in concern.

"You alright?" She asked, much to his surprise.

He could only give a short nod and the Exo tied off the splint before moving back to admire his work.

"Not bad for working on a Fallen. If your arms are anything like humans, then you should be fine after about a week." He commented.

"Your assistance is... appreciated." Erunan muttered.

"You did kill the Warlock just before he could kill me. So I guess it's repayment for that." Teira smiled.

He nodded slightly and glanced to the mouth of the cave as the wind suddenly picked up and the snow started to come down even thicker than earlier. Seraph stood with a sigh.

"Teira, that storm's getting to be pretty bad, and it's gonna get colder soon. We should think about leaving." He said.

Teira frowned and sighed before standing. Then she looked to Erunan. "Will you be here tomorrow?" She asked.

"Yes." He answered. "I am unable to return for several more cycles. I have nowhere else to go."

She smiled then. "Okay. See you tomorrow Erunan." She gave him a wave and then walked to catch up to Seraph.

Erunan's gut twisted again and he lowered his head. The two vanished in a soft blue light and he was left alone in the cold cave again. The sun began to dip below the horizon already and the wind howled miserably. He glanced down at the splint that held his arm together. Such a symbolic thing, it was. He didn't know why, but he knew that Teira's curiosity and friendliness toward him were genuine. And knowing that just made him feel more guilty for what he planned to do.

And his guilt would not let him sleep that night...

/

His whole body ached, and his head throbbed annoyingly, and it was dark.

Ferro sucked in a long breath and forced his eyes to open. He moved, and felt a wave of pain rush into his chest. He thought he heard voices nearby, but they were mostly drowned out by his headache. However, he forced himself to move so that he could see past the broken wall blocking his vision.

He almost wished he hadn't moved.

In front of the Altar that the group had found, the other three Guardians sat on their knees with their hands bound behind them. The other two- the Titan and Warlock- stood off to each side while another man in dark robes stood in front of the three.

One man, a human hunter, slowly woke up and the man in the robes spoke softly to him. Then the robed man walked to stand in front of the confused man, then placed his hands on each side of the hunters face.

The shrieks of agony echoed through the room as the man writhed in pain, trying to escape the robed man, but was unable to move. His body convulsed, his helmet cracked and then fell off, revealing something that horrified Ferro to his core.

He watched, helpless, as the humans eyes and mouth began to glow white, and then the light began to float, wisp-like, out of his face. Black marks, like cracks on a white glass bowl began to appear around his eyes, down his cheeks, and they stopped half-way down his neck before the last of the light was gone. He twitched once, then fell still, eyes closed. Then the robed man spoke.

"Welcome to my army. Welcome to the Corrupted."

The same event repeated itself to the two others when they were awake. Then, after each of them went through the process and had fallen unconscious again, they were dragged off into some unknown area.

Ferro wanted to give chase, however in his wounded state, he would be no match for the others. So he simply focused on escaping and finding help. He sucked in a breath and fought to stand up. Two minutes passed before he finally made it to his feet, and he began to limp away to an exit. Something dark was happening here, and the Speaker needed to know.

It would be hours before he would finally resurface and call his ship to him. However, once on board, he sat with a deep breath. Some of his ribs were definitely cracked, he could feel it. But that would have to wait. He had to deliver his warning to the Speaker.

"Ghost. Take me to the tower. The Speaker needs to know what happened here."

"Right away Proditor. Try not to upset your wounds any further." His Ghost replied as the ship took off.

"Got it." He replied as he sat back in his chair.

/

"Ah, more engrams for me today Seraph?"

The Exo nodded and handed a box of the items to Master Rahool. The Cryptarch began to decode them into items that Seraph would turn around and sell for Teira. He sighed as he waited.

"You seem more gloomy than normal, Seraph. Something wrong?"

The Exo shook his head slightly. "It's been a long and confusing day." He looked up as a Ship came into the docks.

"I take it the Reynolds girl has been running you ragged?" Rahool laughed.

"Most of the time." Seraph chuckled.

"How is she? I heard her mother left to the moon not that long ago."

"She's well asleep right now. All that climbing around Russia in the cold has tired her out pretty quickly. Her mother left to visit her old science team after hearing about a discovery they found in her old field of work. She should be back later this week, or so I was told." Seraph replied.

"Ah, that's good to hear." Rahool chirped before handing three items to Seraph carefully. "There's your items. I look forward to seeing you again soon."

Seraph gave a nod. "A pleasure as always."

Then he left, as he usually would, to go to the elevator that would take him to the city. However something on his way caught his attention.

Blaring red lights began to flash from the docking area and a second later a medical team rushed past him and up the stairs. Seraph, out of curiosity, waited for them to return with a man that lay unconcious on a gurney. He wore all black and grey hunter armor that Seraph immedeately recognized as Enforcer armor. It must have been Proditor Ferro.

The team whisked the Awoken man away to the medical ward and Seraph was slightly concerned. Ferro was a Guardian whose skills were never taken as weak or of normal strength. He was appointed as an Enforcer for just those reasons. He would take missions directly from the Speaker and he is known to hunt rogue guardians. Seeing an Enforcer out in the open like this, and in his wounded state...

Something was wrong.

Seraph stuffed the items into a bag and jogged to follow the medical team. One of them was contacting the Speaker as they ran Ferro to the emergency room. Perhaps the Speaker could answer his questions then, seeing as Ferro was in no condition to be questioned.

So Seraph stopped following the team and instead turned back to head up to the Speakers quarters. He silently ascended the stairs and walked up to the man in the white mask and robes.

"What can I do for you, Guardian?" He asked upon seeing Seraph there.

"One of your Enforcers was rushed to the ER a few minutes ago. He's a close friend of a girls family, so I heard, and I wanted to know what was going on." Seraph explained.

The Speaker let out a sigh. "I had sent Ferro to the Moon. He was in charge of the group of Guardians that were to protect the scientists there." The speaker gave a pause. "His ghost sent a message to me long before Proditor arrived." Another pause. "Nobody else came out of there alive."

Seraph felt a punch of grief. Teira's mother was with that group.

"I... I see." He cleared his throat. "Thank you for the information. I have a message to take to one of the scientists daughter."

"I send my regards with you, Guardian." The Speaker said quietly as Seraph left.

If he had a real heart, then he knew it would have been heavy and his would-be gut would be twisting in grief. Teira was _not _going to like the news.

He wasn't sure he could even bear to tell her...


	7. Chapter 7

**GUESS WHAT GUYS! IT'S FRIDAY! AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!**

**A lot of this chapter was tough to write what with all the planning and timeline stuff I had to do, but hopefully this will work out in my favor. I've got all the OCs organized, so for most people I will not be taking anymore OCs from this point forward. Most of the OCs I'm using will be mentioned in the next chapter somewhere in the beginning or middle, depending on how I write it out.**

**Also, after I post this update, I'm going to be posting a Poll on my profile! Be sure to check it out!**

**And lastly, I have some doodle thing of Seraph on my Deviantart account: RaNdOmCaT927. The Exo in it is a Warlock, and that's because the one I have in my game is a warlock. But it is still Seraph's face design all the same. xD Hope it gives you all a better idea of what he looks like.**

**Anyway, Authors notes aside, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Seraph didn't need sleep. He was an Exo. Sinister, tireless, strong. But...

He wished he could sleep, to feel that peace that all humans and Awoken, hell, even the _Fallen_ could feel. But he? No. He was damned to a life of eternal struggle and war. Yet, that was the entire purpose for the Exo creation: To help fight and win battles.

He could only wait this night though. His metallic fingers tapped on the arm of the chair in which he sat, silent and foreboding. Teira would wake within the hour and he still did not know how to tell her that her mother was killed on the Moon not even four days after departure.

Something in the back of the apartment stirred and he sighed. The girl was up, unsuspecting of the dark news he bore on his shoulders. She walked in, wearing a blue hoodie and black loose pants. She said her good morning as she would usually do so, and then she would go make herself something to eat.

If not for Seraph suddenly grabbing her arm, standing up, and pulling her into a hug. He remained silent, unsure of how to tell her still. She blinked, unknowing, and it tore him apart inside. He had to tell her the news. She placed a hand on his arm and looked up at him.

"What's up Seraph? Something wrong in your wiring or something?" She grinned in a teasing manner.

He looked at her, but the words wouldn't form. He lowered his head, avoiding her eyes as they went from teasing to serious and questioning in a fraction of a second. She tilted her head to look at him.

"Seraph... What's wrong?" She asked quietly.

"Liz.." He lost the words and cleared his throat. "Your mother..." He paused, trying to find the right words to say. "... Ferro, returned last night. He was wounded and unconscious." He shook his head slowly as the realization dawned on her. "The files... Nobody else made it out." Her hand covered her mouth and she stepped away as tears formed in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Teira..."

"Mom... She.. No! She can't be dead!" Teira began, but stopped when her voice cracked.

Seraph lowered his head, lifted it slightly and opened his mouth to say something, but he paused. His mouth closed with a soft click and he lowered his head again. Teira tried to swallow the lump in her throat as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"It is the truth." Seraph muttered.

A few tears fell and she stood there, trembling in grief and fury. Slowly, Seraph reached out to her and she let out one sob before he wrapped his arms protectively around her. Breakfast and their usual morning banter was long forgotten and she cried for a long time in his arms. Then finally, her sobs progressed into hiccups, then whimpers as she began to calm down. After a while, she gave a sniff and rested her forehead against his chest.

"Seraph... I want to go see Ferro." She whispered.

He paused a moment, then nodded slightly. "Okay. I'll take you to him after you get yourself cleaned up."

Hesitantly, he hugged her to him gently and then released her when she was ready. She blinked up at him, then turned and walked off toward the hallway where the bathroom was. Seraph glanced over to the rocking chair that her mother would have been sitting in at this time of day.

"Seraph...?" Teira muttered, causing him to snap his head in her direction. She stared at him sadly and she lowered her head. "Thank you... I don't think I could have handled it that way if it was someone else that told me.." She gave a pause, then looked up at him. "I'm glad you're here."

He was silent for a short moment.

"...I'll always be here for you, kid."

/

"You received a few minor cracks to your rib cage and have sustained a moderate concussion as well as any and all out side wounds to your person. Your brain waves are slightly abnormal as well, but the Doctor believes they will be back to normal in a few days. Otherwise you've sustained no other damage and should be out of the hospital in about a week."

Ferro nodded to the human nurse. "Thank you miss. Enjoy your day." He said as she left.

After she was gone, and he was alone, he let out a miserable sigh. All of the great people to accompany him on the mission, and he was the only one to survive by falling unconscious behind a pile of rubble. He supposed that he'd have ended up like the other three Guardians if he wasn't hidden, but all the scientists were now dead.

Including Liz.

He clenched his fists and the heart monitor next to his bed sped up slightly as a result of his anger. He had lost a life-long best friend thanks to those traitorous bastards!

"They'll pay." He growled.

Then there was a knock on the door to his room. He glanced up and stared for a moment before he decided to answer.

"Come in." He called.

The door opened slowly and an Exo peered in. He was obviously a guardian with the way he carried his strong armor. A veteran Guardian at that. He walked in slowly and motioned for another person to enter as well. And when she did, Ferro felt his heart drop to his stomach.

It was Teira. Elizabeth's little girl. He could barely remember the last time he had seen her eight years ago. She had been such an innocent little thing, tottering around in the streets with the other boys and girls while he visited her mother and her oldest son when he was still alive.

"Teira." He rasped in disbelief. "It's been a long time since I have seen you."

She blinked at him and nodded shyly as she stood behind the Exo, who looked at Ferro with a cautious stare.

"Proditor Ferro. She wanted to come see you about her mothers death. She wants to know more." He informed.

Ferro glanced to the girl and noticed that her eyes and nose were red and slightly puffy from crying. Someone must have already broken the news from her, the Exo, he guessed.

Slowly he sat up in his bed. "She is the daughter of Liz. So she most certainly has the right to know what happened."

So he went through his story. He told them of how the speaker gave him the mission to accompany the scientists and keep the other guardians in line. He had learned of Elizabeth joining the group when two of the men talked about inviting her, so naturally he would have backed that decision up so he could see his old friend again.

But if he knew it was the last time he'd have seen her...

He didn't describe anyone's death. Only that the Hive killed them after two of the Guardians betrayed the group. He told them about the altar and the ritual that he had witnessed, and his description of that earned him a horrified look from the girl, and the Exo seemed uncomfortable hearing it as well.

And that was all he could tell them.

"The Speaker has already received a report about the altar and the events around it. He will send another group of Guardians there after a couple months of preparation. It's almost like he knows that we'll need all the strongest Guardians we can get to go there." He finished.

Teira glanced up at Seraph, then to Ferro. She gave a nod of respect.

"Thank you Ferro. I hope you heal soon." She said softly before turning to leave.

Seraph gave the older man a nod and turned to follow her. It wasn't until the door shut behind him when she spoke.

"We need to find Erunan. Maybe he can help me convince his Kell to aid us in our assault against the Hive on the moon." She said quietly so that nobody would hear as they walked.

"Teira, not that I don't have any faith in you, but that's a pretty far-fetched goal."

"I want to talk with him at least. I need to get my mind off of the news anyway. Besides, I did promise I would return today, didn't I?" She answered matter-of-factly.

"I suppose you did." Seraph replied quietly. "Come on then, let's head out."

"Right behind you..."

/

Erunan paced across the rock floor anxiously. His lower set of arms were crossed behind his back, while his top left cradled his top right arm as it healed. He had only a couple cycles left before Kalyvaaz would hunt him down and slaughter him on sight. There had to be some way to get the girl alone!

He gave a shiver and stopped pacing for a moment to huff out a breath of air into the cold cave. Staying in this weather too long could potentially cause him harm, but he was not too worried. His kind were durable and able to adapt no matter the climate. He would adapt eventually.

He heard the sound of a Guardian's ship and heard a couple voices a few moments later that he recognized as the girl and her Exo friend. Something was off today though. Her speech was low and lacked the usual lightness that he had become slightly familiar with. She seemed.. depressed.

Of course, upon their arrival, the statement would have become fact. Just by the way she carried herself told him that she was facing some kind of inner turmoil. He was tempted to ask what was wrong, but he dismissed it quickly. He shouldn't care anyway, the girl was as good as dead if he could get her without being caught by the Exo.

"Hi Erunan." The girl greeted after the Exo took out his ghost.

He gave a nod and his entire being itched to ask what made her so disheartened.

"Greetings, Teira." He grumbled.

She hesitated for a moment, and he knew she was itching to say something as well. After a moment, she finally spoke.

"I.. need to ask a favor of you, Erunan." She started. "Something is happening on the Moon. Something.. big. The Speaker is sending all of the strongest Guardians there to battle whatever's over there. I want to speak with your Kell, and see if he is willing to help, since the Fallen and the Hive are enemies as well." She explained.

Erunan glanced at her in shock, then to the Exo, who just nodded. Then he shuffled on his feet and cleared his throat.

"You are aware that my Kell will not take too kindly to this... proposition of yours... Right?" He asked.

Teira gave a short nod. "Maybe once he hears my story, he'll change his mind."

Erunan paused, slightly unsure. The girl was most certainly a bold one, but something else was driving her motives. He could easily see the pure rage and grief in her eyes as she stared at him, expecting an answer. So he sighed and raised a finger to the side of his helmet, then pressed a button that activated the communications link to the Ketch.

"Kalyvaaz. I have obtained the Human girl. Send a ship to come pick me up."

/

Kalyvaaz couldn't believe that Erunan had actually done it. Just in time as well. Their Kell had grown impatient and ordered him to execute the Captain the very next day. However, he never expected to see what he saw as the ship picked the two up that evening.

Erunan, bearing a small object around his once broken arm, pushed a young girl onto the ship. She glared up at him as she passed, her lips pursed in an angry frown. Her hair was of the red-brown color and her eyes were a piercing sage color. She wore typical guardian armor that the weaker ones would wear, however her cape told a story in itself.

The white and gold fabric was rather old, he determined, and he had seen only a few Guardians sporting it in his time on Earth. It had many golden details, but the most noticeable was a head of a wolf that was located in the middle of her back. How such a young human was able to receive such a highly esteemed cloak was beyond him. However he let the thought slide as he observed his comrade's condition.

His lesser wounds were healed for the most part, however his broken arm had been the most worrisome. He eyed the contraption around his arm questionably as the ship began to take off.

"Erunan, what is that strange thing?" He asked curiously.

"The human called it a splint." He answered stiffly. "I had to gain her trust some way." He added quickly when he felt the judging glare come from the Guard.

"Tricking her into being comfortable around you, then striking when she least expects it. You are more tactically intelligent than you say you are, Captain. Perhaps you will make a decent guard one day."

"You mean stand at the Kell's chair all day? I believe I am more suited to my current rank." Erunan snorted.

"Or you can take missions from the Kell himself to execute troublesome guardians." Kalyvaaz retorted with a snort.

Erunan stayed silent and glanced down at Teira, who kept her eyes to the floor and her mouth shut. She shifted her feet slightly and then her eyes flicked up to look at him out of the corner of her vision.

Then she cracked the smallest of smiles.

He blinked and her frown vanished just a second later as Kalyvaaz approached, his lower set of arms behind his back, and his upper set folded over his chest. He eyed the girl warily as the ship neared the Ketch docking port. Then his radio buzzed and he touched the receiving button.

"Kalyvaaz here." He answered.

"The Kell has a change of plans. He wants the girl to be brought directly to him as soon as you touch down in the landing pad." Another Guard said in the radio.

"Understood." Then the link was cut as the ship came to a slow stop, and once all movement ceased, the girl was escorted off of the ship.

The hangar was buzzing with movement. Dregs and Vandals all sat around ammo crates, chattering to themselves while their Captains watched over their activities. Dregs would scatter as they passed, hissing in their language. Many of the warriors sent glares after the girl, who kept her eyes submissively low. She never looked up from the floor as Erunan tugged her along while he and Kalyvaaz walked through the halls.

Finally, after a good ten minutes of walking, they arrived at the Kell's chambers, where the Kell himself sat in his throne in a bored position. That is, until he saw the girl.

Slowly the Kell sat forward as Teira was brought into the middle of the room. It wasn't until she was stopped when she looked dead into the Kell's eyes with a fixed glare. Erunan stood behind her, slightly anxious as he imagined how this would unfold.

"So this is the puny human who distracted the Warlock long enough for you to kill him." The Kell barked out a laugh. "What a puny thing she is!"

A moment of silence passed. Something in the back upper right corner of the room blinked a small blue light, and Teira smiled slightly as she watched the Ghosts light fade slightly. She dismissed the insult that was translated and took a step forward before she fell to one knee respectfully. All muttering and mocking abruptly stopped and the Kell stared.

"Leader of the House of Kings. It was of my own free will that I am here." She said boldly as her voice was translated to the Fallen language.

Kalyvaaz glanced at the Captain that stood behind the girl in shock as her voice rang out. The Kell stared, obviously taken aback by her actions. She rose to her feet as Seraph's ghost floated down and hovered by her side, acting as her own ghost.

The Kell rose from his seat, tense and leering. "You are a Guardian..?" He growled.

She kept silent, but gave a short nod. "And I need your help. Will you hear me?"

The Kell snarled quietly and took a step forward. "You are a filthy human. Why would I even let you speak more, other than your screams of agony?"

"Because the Hive is an enemy that both Humans and the Fallen face." She said, tilting her head back slightly. The Kell stared. "My mother departed to the Moon four days ago. She was part of a science team, sent to investigate a large pocket of dark energy deep within the Moons surface." Teira paused, lowering her eyes slightly. "She was killed, along with every other scientist, and all but one Guardian is missing. The last survivor returned last night and told of something horrifying."

Some of the Guards whispered to one another as she paused.

"The Speaker is sending the strongest Guardians to combat the power there. But I have a feeling that we'll need more than just a group of Guardians... We need your help." She finished with a bow of her head in submission.

The Kell remained silent for a full minute before he let out a loud growl. There was a flash of movement and Erunan's head snapped up as the Kell grabbed Teira by her neck and lifted her into the air. She gagged and struggled helplessly. The Kell snarled in her face.

"Humans are the enemy. We do not _help _the enemy!" He boomed before tossing her to the side and into a terminal wall.

Teira hit it with a thunk and she grunted as she fell to her knees. The Kell gave her no time to recover before he lifted her up by her cape and threw her again, causing her to land in front of his throne this time. She hit the floor hard and struggled to get up and face her attacker. The Kell advanced menacingly with a snarl as Teira reached for her knife that sat hidden in her pants pocket. Her heart beat pounded in her head from the rush of adrenaline. The Kell reached for her again, and she lashed out. He roared in fury as her knife sliced his palm, causing dark blood to seep out of the wound. Then another fist came down and slammed into her middle, causing her gasp and recoil as her breath was knocked away.

The hand withdrew and left her in a coughing heap as she rolled over and attempted to stand up again. She was again lifted by the Kells uninjured hand and she was brought up to his face as he snarled darkly.

"You have made a mistake, human."

She gripped onto her knife and huffed. "So have you."

The Kell had no time to react as she threw her knife at him. He roared and dropped her as the blade embedded itself into his throat with a sickening slice. She fell and landed on the floor, and she cried out as she landed strangely on her side. The Kell stumbled backwards as he yanked the knife from his throat and blood spurted out of the hole as he let out a choke.

Both of his upper hands went to cover the wound as he gurgled on his own blood. He coughed up more and more blood as she seconds passed, then coughing turned to gurgling, then to choking in just under a minute. He then stumbled back again and fell onto his back. He twitched, struggling to take another breath with lungs full of blood. There was no room for air, so he simply lay there, blood dripping from his neck and out of the cracks in his helmet onto the floor. One of his hands twitched, and his head fell to the side, then he finally lay still. Little lights wisped out of the eyes and evaporated into the air as his soul left him.

The Kell was dead. All was silent.

Slowly, Teira stood, gripping onto her probably dislocated shoulder and she took a step toward the Kell, blinking. Then the realization hit her like a brick to the face. She whipped around to Erunan, eyes wide in fear.

"Oh my God! I didn't mean- I... It was in self-defense!" She started.

Erunan stepped forward and stopped in front of her. Then he fell to one knee with his head low, eyes staring at the floor. Teira froze and stared at him in shock and some of the Guards muttered in the midst of one another. She blinked at him, then took an unsure step back.

"Um... Erunan..? What's going on?" She whispered to him.

"You have slain our former Kell. By law, you are to be seen and respected as our new leader." The Captain answered.

Teira held her breath.

"Wait, what?!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Happy Thanksgiving! Figured I'd post this a bit early for the Holidays, so here it is, the LONGEST chapter to date! This chapter will introduce MOST of the OCs that I am using within this branch of the story, so if you see your character, then you know fully well it belongs to you. (I'll put copyrights at the bottom of the chapter) I've also made a few more OCs of mine as well to fill in some gaps that I felt were missing, so yeah. **

**Also, to clear some stuff up, this story DOES take place before the events of the actual game, so that will hopefully explain someone's appearance in this chapter.**

**Finally, my poll is still up for those who want to vote on it still. It's basically your opinions on any possible pairings between characters in the story so far. I'll be adding more after a while on a completely new poll in the future, so I'll let you know when that's done.**

**(Warning: There's also a pretty nasty rant at the bottom as well. As my profile states, I'm a nice person, but I can be cold-hearted if I feel you deserve it. soo... yeah.)**

**Thanks for reading, and I hope the ending part isn't too shitty xD Enjoy!**

"Hey, do you know why we're here?"

"Not yet. I just got a message to come here, and that it was urgent."

"It better be good. I had to skip out on going to the bar with my friends for this."

"Oh quit yer' bitchin'! The message came from the speaker himself. It wouldn't be important otherwise."

A female Exo with dark plating leaned on the long table, her ragged cloak framing her backside. Her eyes and mouth lights were pale yellow as were the antennae on each side of her head. She examined the map in front of her with a bored sigh as the Guardians around her all bantered to each other.

She made note of the lack of Warlocks. Only one was present, the infamous Prometheus, one of the older veteran Guardians. His plating was a lighter shade of grey and his optics and voice light were a pale red color. There were rumors that he used to work for the Vex, but betrayed them and turned to the Speaker to be a loyal Guardian to.

Next was Echo. A human hunter who always had some neutral expression in any situation. She recalled that he had arrived at the tower with very little memory of what he was before he became a Guardian. Some women in the city fawned over him when rumors spread that he was good with kids.

Then there was Raz. A human titan. He was huge in stature, easily being well over six and a half feet in height with his armor on. He was bald and had a reputation for a desire to rip his enemies apart with his bare hands. So he was listed as one of the most violent Guardians present. Yet somehow he had a soft spot for a woman named Jo, however she was not present in this meeting.

Her gaze flicked over to another Exo. Veritas was his name, and he was another of the titan class. His plating was snow white and he sported a red spatter across his left eye that resembled blood. He was easily one of the strangest Exo's she had met due to his damaged voice box, which made it sound like three or four people talking all at once. He had quite the history as well, if his missing left eye had anything to say about it. She remembered something about losing a whole fireteam to a Fallen ambush more than a hundred years ago.

Then there was yet another Exo. Entity-216, but she just called him Entity. There was no need for numbers really. He was a hunter, and wore red armor that contrasted his blue plating and white eye and mouth coloring. Darker blue paint was smeared across his face in a war-paint type of marking. He was, if his files were correct, a master sniper who preferred to work alone. He didn't seem to happy to be here.

And finally there was her: Starr-083, or just Starr. She herself was a hunter and a damn good one at that. Her favorite weapon was her throwing knife and her trusty shotgun that hung on her back as she leaned over the desk. She was a nightmare to most of her enemies, if not, she was fairly evenly matched. Only one man could face her and win time and time again, and she held him in high regards for it. He was a fair fighter at least, if not a bit competitive in the Crucible. She was a little on the short side as well, compared to the other female Exos out there, but only by a couple inches and it was because her original owner had her built for...other things.

When she got tired of being treated the way she had, she murdered the man. And the cops had lost her trail years ago, the case was long forgotten anyway.

Raz groaned in irritation and rubbed his huge hand over his face. "The guys are gonna wonder where I am.."

"Get over yourself, Titan." Starr sneered as she stood straight. "The Speaker and Vanguards called us here for a reason, I'm sure your buddies can wait."

And Starr was also known for an attitude that many would describe as "wow what a bitch".

Raz glared at her as she turned away, her Ghost Angel cloak clinging to the back of her knees as she walked around the table to examine whatever sat upon it. She walked up to the spot where Cayde would usually stand, often times begging her to take him on her adventures before being stopped by the other two Vanguards. She could only pity him, he must have loved fighting the good fight out there against the enemies, only to be cooped up at a table, staring at a map and going to meetings all day. It was a wonder he didn't throw himself off of the tower yet.

"Alright everyone. The Speaker will be here in a moment. Sorry for the wait." Speaking of the Vanguards..

Commander Zavala, the Titan Vanguard, led the other two into the room and they split to their rightful spots along the table. All of the Guardians quieted down as the Speaker approached them shortly afterward. He stayed at the top of the steps that led into the room with his arms to his sides.

"You all are wondering why I called you here. And I have come bearing an answer to you." He began. "One of the strongest Guardians known to the tower has returned from his mission early. Proditor Ferro was rushed to the Emergency Room last night with fractured ribs, a concussion, and abnormal brain waves that the doctors cannot determine the cause of. He had been sent with a team of five other Guardians to protect the scientists there. His report states that all the scientists are dead, and the Guardians are all missing."

Starr looked among the other guardians in slight shock. Ferro was an older man, but he was certainly a power not to be trifled with. If something could wound him so easily, then they were in big trouble. She looked up at the speaker as he continued.

"But that is not the largest of my worries. What he described to me upon his waking was disturbing to hear, and many of you would do wise to be cautious after hearing this." He paused, looking among them with the slight turning of his head. "Someone on the moon is stealing and absorbing the light that is contained in each of us. They are replacing it with raw darkness, and these soldiers are dubbed as the Corrupted. We do not know why this is happening, and we do not know the full extent of their numbers, however they need to be stopped as soon as possible. You all will need to train amongst each other, know your strengths and weaknesses, so that you may fight side-by-side against this foe. Your departure for the location on the Moon will take place in three months, when spring has begun."

"Consult your Vanguard if you have questions." Cayde said as the Speaker turned and left.

Starr looked to the others silently as they whispered to each other, then Veritas spoke up.

"Do you really think we'll need three whole months to prepare? This sounds worse than the Vault of Glass." He scoffed.

"Or perhaps just as bad." Echo agreed quietly.

"It doesn't matter." Starr said while folding her arms. "Guardians are going missing and we've been chosen to stop whatever's going on. If the Speaker thinks it's gonna take three months for us to prepare, then who are we to go against his word?" She pointed out.

Entity, Prometheus, and Echo all nodded in agreement. Raz just cracked his knuckles.

"As long as I get to rip things apart, I'm good." He said simply.

Starr couldn't help but bark a short laugh. "Well guys, it's getting late, we'll meet up at the Cryptarch tomorrow to start our training."

"Aye Captain." Entity said with the roll of his optics.

/

"This is absurd! No human could ever be the Kell of our House!"

"Kill her now! End this madness!"

"Throw her out the airlock!"

Erunan turned to the guard and roared. "Enough!"

All fell silent, and Kalyvaaz watched in numb shock as Erunan snarled at the others angrily.

"She defeated our Kell. Our laws dictate that she is to be the new Leader." He boomed. "I have experienced her compassion first-hand." He lifted his broken arm slightly as an example. "She has helped me three times over and nearly got killed twice because of it. Her kindness toward all species in this universe makes her more than qualified to be our leader."

"Erunan, stop, please." Teira whispered fearfully. "I'm a _human_ for Traveler's sake! No one here will take too kindly to the news. Isn't there someone else..?"

"There are no other heirs to the Kell's throne." Erunan said while facing her. "Those who are unwilling to follow you simply because you are not human will go to the House of Exile, or become clanless. Both are great dishonors." He argued quietly.

"Wouldn't it be easier for them to just kill me instead?" She asked.

Erunan tensed and growled. "They will not get the chance. Not until you get a chance to prove yourself."

The girl raised a brow. "So what? You're gonna protect me, from all of them?" She said, pointing at the crowd of slightly curious and somewhat angry fallen.

Erunan paused a moment, glaring at the guards. "I can damn well try. It is our duty to protect our Kell, no matter what." He growled to her.

"She certainly has a large sense of modesty." Kalyvaaz observed as he walked to the two. Erunan tensed slightly and Teira watched as the Guard approached.

"I'm agreeing with most of you guys here. I can't see myself leading an entire House of Fallen! It's crazy!" She said quickly.

Kalyvaaz stared at her for a moment in thought. "Perhaps. However much of your history and technology came from people who were deemed as crazy. It may not be such a bad thing to have a Human as a Kell. Observe the Awoken and the House of Wolves in the Reef. The only difference here is that you are choosing to go against our law, whereas the Queen of the Reef asserted herself as their leader and forced many to stay in the House, and those who escaped have either been captured or hunted and killed." He pointed out.

"So you mean to say that you'll stay because I'm not forcing you to? You guys are confusing."

"He means to say that you have a chance to prove yourself a worthy leader. You said there were three months until the Guardians departed. You will have until then." Erunan offered, slightly hopeful.

Teira looked between the two then huffed softly. "Okay.. Okay fine. But I can't do it alone."

Erunan gave a nod and then motioned with the raise of his good top arm for her to take her place on the Kell's seat. She looked at the seat warily, modestly placing a loose fist just below her collar bone before she slowly walked up to the throne. She stopped before it, and reached out cautiously, as if the thing could easily devour her in one bite. She gingerly touched the arm of the seat, paused, then turned to face the Fallen group behind her, her hair whipped in her face slightly from the movement.

"I know I'm not as strong or as brave as your former Kell. I'm really just a kid still, but..." She hesitated a moment, glancing to the floor. "But I want to learn more, about all of you. I want to learn from this House what it means to be the leader of your kind. And I am determined to know the opinions of every single one of you by the end of these three months. I will learn to think like a Fallen, to fight like a Fallen.. All I need is a teacher." She spoke out, then she slowly took her seat on the throne, somewhat tensely. "This war between your kind and mine has gone on long enough. Too much blood has been spilled and for what?" Some of the soldiers looked between each other. "I am determined to make a difference in a positive way, for all sides. All I need is a chance." She thumped her fist on the arm of the chair boldly. "And by God, I hope to be seen as one of you before the day I take my final breath, knowing that I fought for you! I fought for peace! And I fought for the future of the generations to come, to know that they will live a life, not cooped up in a crowded city, but along-side the aliens that they will grow up to know as their life long friends. And for your generations, where your children and your childrens children won't have to scavenge old and abandoned cities just to get by! I will not be your true leader until this dream becomes reality. I will fight for this for all that I am worth. And I will never give up until my soul has been ripped from my body, and my lungs have given me my final breath!" She paused a moment, and then gave the smallest of smiles. "I have read that the Fallen were once a race of Nobility. Your fall from grace only means that there is but one place to go: and that is up. Your kind will rise once again, and perhaps this time, the humans and Guardians can offer you a gentle and friendly hand to help you back onto your feet."

A moment of silence came over the room, and for a slight second she feared that her speech had not gotten through to them. However, Kalyvaaz threw a fist into the air with a roar, in which many others followed soon after, and she felt the panic vanish and it was replaced with a light blush of modesty from their approval.

"Hail! The Queen of Kings!"

/

_Later that evening..._

"Wait so let me get this straight..." Seraph began. "You pitched your story to the Kell. He didn't take that too well, he nearly crippled you, and you stabbed him in the throat-"

"Well it was more of a lucky toss. You know I can't aim worth shit when I'm trying."

"Right. So because your knife was the downfall of the Kell, the House of Kings has made you their new leader?"

"Yes."

"So you gave a speech about your goals, which it obviously got through to a lot of them, and now you want to set up a peace treaty between the House and the Guardians, which is a pretty daunting task in itself. Am I good so far?" Seraph huffed.

"For the most part, yeah."

"Well I guess that explains why there was no gunfire when my ship landed. Anyway, so after hearing that the Speaker is sending Guardians to the moon to investigate what's going on down there, you decided you wanted to help out by sending an army of the strongest and most secretive warriors of the Fallen race there as well." He went on.

"Yep. I'll be joining them too. No leader ever got popular by sitting on their throne all day. They all ended up being overthrown, remember?" She said quietly, eyeing the two Fallen on the other side of the room. One was Erunan and he was chatting to Kalyvaaz. "I don't plan on telling anyone about it though. I think Erunan has grown a bit... fond of me." She hissed so that said Captain wouldn't hear.

Seraph folded his arms and stared at the floor. "This is so fucked up Teira. Do you know what you've gotten yourself into? This is what happens when I leave you alone for more than an hour!"

That earned him a glare and a light slap on the arm. "It's not a bad thing right now, Seraph." She snapped. "Erunan told me that there are not many that remain that dislike my being here. Most of who opposed have left, and even then, he said that after hearing my speech, many who were skeptical decided to stay and see how this would turn out. I'd say things are starting to look pretty bright to me."

"Yeah, until you make one wrong move and they rip you apart." Seraph muttered, which earned him another glare.

"They won't try. Erunan said he and Kalyvaaz would protect me until I can learn how to fight for myself."

"Teira, you're just a kid!" Seraph hissed. "What in this world makes you think you can become an effective leader in just three months?"

"Some children became kings when they were just little kids. If they can rule a kingdom of the old ages at the age of twelve, then I don't see why I can't try to lead a House of Fallen at the age of nineteen." Teira snorted, placing her hands on her hips. "You worry too much. Everything will be fine, you'll see."

Seraph sighed and rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. "...Okay. You have to stay with me though, at all costs. I'm not letting you out of my sight for a single second, understand?" He demanded.

"Deal." She replied with a smirk. "I figured we'd go to the speaker by the end of this week and talk to him about this."

"Alright. How are you doing though?" He asked quietly as he became slightly concerned. "If this is your way to cope with-"

"There's nothing I can do to bring mom back..." Teira muttered as she lowered her sight to the floor. "I'll miss her, so much that it physically hurts, but I'm a realist at heart. She wouldn't want me to be sad for her departure anyway." She smiled softly. "Mom was always cheerful around me when she wasn't so busy worrying about every little thing. She only mourned Brandon for two days before she threw a party to celebrate his honorable deeds and his wonderful life. I see no reason as to why I should treat her death differently."

"If she were here, I bed she'd be freaking out about your new title." Seraph chuckled softly, causing Teira to grin.

"She'd probably either call me a liar, and then faint when I showed her the proof."

"Proof?"

Teira gave a start. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Erunan is searching for a cloak with the House emblem on it for me to wear as a symbol of leadership." She smiled softly as she looked to the two Fallen. "My new family... or so I would hope."

"It's nothing like your blood family, but if things go well, it'll be a damn close second." Seraph agreed.

"Yeah.." She replied, then looked up as Erunan walked over. "Yes Erunan?"

"I am afraid I bring some slightly bad news." He started. "Aksor, our Archon Priest, has caught word of this change of leadership, and he is on his way here to request a council with you and the Guard. Kalyvaaz reported that he did not seem to thrilled by the news. However, he will be taken down if he tries to attack you."

Seraph pulled out his shotgun. "Damn right he will." He sneered.

Teira made a thoughtful face and tilted her head slightly. After a moment, she gave a nod and turned to walk out of the room that was to be her personal quarters, and into the hallways.

"Okay, I'll see him when he arrives. I'm curious to hear his opinions and maybe we can come to a compromise." She said as she walked out.

Seraph and Erunan glanced at each other, and Seraph just sighed before they followed her out and to the bridge of the Ketch. It wasn't a very long walk and they arrived to the room right as the first of the Guard began to arrive. Teira observed them as she walked through the room toward the seat. Each Guard she passed kept his head low and eyes to the floor in some type of submission. She frowned slightly. That would have to change if she were ever to feel comfortable in such a place. She passed another Guard and he did the same thing, only looking up when she gently touched his shoulder and gave him a gentle smile before passing.

Finally she took her place on the seat in the room and only a moment passed before the Archon Priest emerged. Dregs scattered away from his tall form, all hissing as they bumped into each other. Teira sat forward slightly to observe the Priest. He stalked to the center of the room, and as tradition states, he took a reluctant knee and bowed his head to his Kell. She tilted her head and blinked at him, a bit nervous.

"You are Aksor? It's an honor." She said quietly. "You can stand. There is no need to bow for a person like me."

The Priest gave a snort and rose to his feet, slightly taken aback by her modesty. He narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his arms.

"For a moment I did not believe the rumors. Now I see I was mistaken." He snarled. "A Human for a Kell? It goes against our very existance. Had you been so unlucky enough to die in your battle..." He trailed off, not needing to say more.

She paused a moment, thinking on his words. Then acknowledement came over her and she sat back slightly. "You would have been next in line." She stated softly, earning her a snort.

"Indeed." He grumbled. "I would challenge you for the seat. However, it seems your Guard has already devoted their existance to you. I know when to pick my battles, unlike our previous Kell apparently. To be beaten by a human child, what a dishonor it is."

"Well, it happened, and I'm here now." She stood from her seat and placed her arms behind her back. "Has anyone told you of my goals for your House?"

"Only a few." Aksor answered stoically.

"Well, it seems I'll have to give you a summary then." She stated. "I came here of my own free will, to ask your Kell for help on the Moon. Something dark is stirring there and I am afraid that many alien species will suffer. Not just the humans and Guardians." She explained.

"Your kind are more than capable of handling yourselves-"

"Our strongest Guardian, an Enforcer, was wounded there before he even got the chance to properly battle. Guardians are being drained of their light and being forced into an army called the Corrupted prior to their disappearing. There was an altar somewhere in the moons caves, I can't help but think it has something to do with all of this." She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. "My mother was part of a group of scientists to research this altar. All of them were killed, including her. Our Speaker doesn't know how many make up this army of Corrupted, and we're flying blind into this new war. I came here to gather help, and now that I am your new Kell, that help doesn't seem so far out of reach."

Aksor turned his head in thought, then growled. "Serving a Human is not something on my priorities." He said finally.

She blinked at him and then gave a slow nod. "I take it you will depart then. I will respect your wishes and you are free to go peacefully." She said gently as she took her seat again.

He turned and began to stalk away, he was almost to the doors when she spoke again.

"Aksor, I wish you good luck out there. You are welcome to return at any time." She said, causing him to turn to her, and she gave him a soft smile.

He stared at her for a moment, grumbled something, and left in a haste.

"Well... That went better than I expected." Seraph huffed.

"Yeah." Teira sighed. "I figured we'd have been here longer, but that's water under the bridge now. We have work to do, remember?" She said while standing and she stretched her legs and she rubbed her sore shoulder. Seraph said she was lucky it hadn't broke, and after an examination, she learned that it was only bruised, not dislocated.

"So what's the plan then?" Seraph asked as they walked off together.

"I'm going to walk with Erunan and Kalyvaaz. Get to know their military build a little better, maybe even mingle with the other soldiers a little bit. As soon as I can get my cloak for the House, we'll go see the Speaker about this." Teira replied as she folded her arms.

"Alright. I'll tag along. I don't quite trust them just yet." He grumbled.

"That's fine, but you'll have to trust them eventually." She smiled up at him.

"Maybe when Cabal grow wings and fly..."

/

"Arcviss, there were four guardians in that group. Only three were brought to me at the altar."

A man in a set of black warlock robes kneeled before his leader with a thin frown on his features. He bowed his head down and removed his helmet, revealing a set of pale blue eyes and short black hair that sat atop a pale face.

"He was lost in the battle, sir." He said quietly.

"That was Proditor Ferro that your generals so haphazardly lost! The strongest Enforcer ever appointed by the Speaker. And you let him get away. I should punish you, perhaps even kill you for this slip up." The man paused. "However you are too valuable. Your cult of Vex soldiers are a huge asset to my cause, so I will let you live. However, one of your Generals will pay. Send me your fourth appointed general, and you will be spared. You are also tasked with hunting Ferro and anyone close to him. Understood?"

Arcviss gave a slight nod. "It will be done."

"Very well. Now go. We still have much work to do before we are to make our next move on the target."

The dark warlock gave a nod and stood before walking away quickly as his leader turned back to his screens behind him. Arcviss, once he left the room, brought out his Spectre, his own version of a Ghost, and he ordered it to make a call to three of his Generals.

The first was Reaper. The awoken man was a Hunter with the temper of, well, a hunter. He was skilled at what he did, which was why the man was appointed as the first General. He had white hair and a scar that crossed over one eye.

Next was Scythe. She was a lesser warlock who previously went by the name of Vira before she went through the corruption process. Afterward she insisted she be called Scythe, saying that she was the new tool of death in this era. Her hair was long and was a bleach blonde color with red-brown roots. Her eyes were a lively amber color and she had a violent streak in her like he had never seen. She easily tore her foes apart with her black magic. The guardians that had been recently captured should have counted their lucky stars that she only tore their weapons away.

Lastly, there was Tomb. The Exo was silent most of the time, and when he did speak, it was usually to prove a point or to defend Scythe when she was in trouble. There were several occasions in which he took punishment for her, often times claiming that the girl was frail and would easily break if hit too hard. His plating was a dark green color and his optics and mouth light were white. He was a titan, but even after being corrupted, he would rather not have to fight too much. Not out of lazyness. No. He was a politician at heart, ready to bargain and con his targets into feeling safe around him, and then he would strike before they even had the chance to respond. This tactic was why so many guardians had been lured to their leader and captured.

When all three of them picked up, Arcviss ordered them to remain together and to tell their final comrade to go see the leader for a "raise". When asked why, he told them that the man, a human with a cocky attitude, was to be brought to the other side of the realm as punishment for losing Ferro. They quickly agreed to remain together for the time and he abruptly ended the transmission.

Arcviss gritted his teeth five minutes later, when the screams of agony from his former comrade echoed down the halls, followed by a sickly splat only a moment later. Proditor Ferro would pay for the downfall of his General.

All of the Guardians would pay...

**Character Copyrights: **

**Teira, Erunan, Seraph, Starr, Scythe*, and Tomb* (c) me  
>Veritas, Kalyvaaz, and Proditor Ferro (c) The Baz<br>Raz, Jo*, and Durnisk* (c) Razzack  
>Prometheus (c) fireflyeleven<br>Echo (c) WetworkzNinja  
>Arcviss, and Entity-216 (c) Matt Reilly<br>Reaper (c) GrimReaper068**

***All OCs with a star next to their names have not appeared in person.**

**(Side note: Threatening to "destroy me in pvp" on destiny is NOT going to make me want to use your OC. You either didn't provide enough info, or I didn't see any way to fit your OC into my plot. Just 'cause you beat the vault, have all exotic gear, or you go flawless, doesn't mean you deserve the right to threaten me, nor does it give me reason to use your OC. All that comment did was show me that you're not a modest person. So no. I didn't use your OC. Don't like it? Cry me a fucking river.)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi Guys! Sorry it took so long to get this out! I had a huge Symphonic Winds Concert last weekend and it sapped me of all my time and energy. Plus I got hit with some writers block in the middle of this chapter. I sincerely apologize for the wait, and I'll try to get the next chapter written by next Friday, but I'll warn you all now, I have Semester Exams next week and, even with the fact that I can get out of school at 11am rather than 2pm, I'll have to include studying time along with my clan practices with DHG, as well as video gaming time with my boyfriend (his destiny game character appears in this chapter too! I've still yet to name him, but I also plan on writing a short side story that deals with Starr's past and such. He plays a huge role.)**

**But anyway, despite all my plans in the real world, I promise to let you all know if I will miss the deadline through another update with an authors note.**

**So yeah, that's what took so long, and this chapter is, unfortunately, shorter than I originally intended, however it's important. So, enjoy!**

_Click... Click... Click... Click..._

Starr listened as she tossed her favorite throwing knife into the air, and she would catch it, the metal of her hand and the knife making a clicking sound as they came into contact with each other. She stood, leaning against a wall of the hallway that led into the ship bay. The glass doorways sat on either side of her as the waited. It was early, the sun had not even had the chance to rise yet, and the humans of her new group were well asleep by now.

The sound of heavy footsteps was her only clue as to when her guest would arrive.

She looked up as another hunter walked into the room. He was an exo as well, his plating was a dull white and he had blue markings on his face to match his pale, ice blue optics. He was a strong warrior and showed it by the armor he wore, along with the cloak obtained only on the Vault of Glass as a reward. He had many scratches along his face plates, the most notable one going down his left cheek. She placed her knife in her pocket and approached him.

"About time you got here." She greeted with open arms.

"Had some business out at mars to take care of. Sorry I'm late." He replied quietly as they hugged. "So what's this news you wanted to tell me about?"

Starr moved away from him and crossed her arms as she turned to the side. "The Speaker has gathered some of the best Guardians out there to storm a section of the Moon. Awful things are happening there, and I've got a pretty bad feeling about it."

"The best Guardians? Shouldn't I have been invited then?" Her guest asked.

"I said _some_ of the best." She scoffed, turning back to him. "But that's besides the point. The speaker wants to send a small group of guardians there because whoever is over there is taking the light out of whatever Guardian they get their hands on. It would be dangerous to send too many."

He stared at her for a moment. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I think six Guardians won't be enough. I want you to rally more troops here at the Tower while I'm training with my fire team. I want all other Guardians to be alert in case we fail and whatever's on the moon comes to the City."

"Maybe I should come with you-"

"No, the Speaker only wants us to go. Besides, I need you here." She looked up at him as he stepped closer to her.

"Starr... If I don't know you're safe-" He started, placing his hands on her arms.

"I'll be fine." She interrupted. "You've spent a lot of time getting me to where I am now, and I couldn't be more grateful. And if something does go wrong; Just know that I went out with Golden Guns blazing like the fires from Hell."

The male Exo gave a huff of amusement before he leaned forward and touched his face plate to hers gently with a light tap. His optics met with hers and they stood there for a moment in silence, eventually holding hands, before he spoke again.

"Alright. I trust that you'll be okay, but you have to promise that when you leave, I'll get to see you again after the fight. Deal?"

She giggled quietly and gave him a soft headbutt. "Deal."

/

"So this is your Med bay then?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"It's... kinda small. Don't you think?"

Teira glanced up over her shoulder to Erunan, who stood behind her and looked over her shoulder to a holographic map that came from Seraph's Ghost. Her thin finger hovered over the small area. He made a thoughtful noise and tilted his head.

"Perhaps. Although our war with the Guardians has left little to return, and too severe of wounds to properly heal. Only a few ever come out with the luck I had when you helped me." He mused.

"I see.. well that means that I really need to work on organizing that peace treaty with the Speaker then. Any news on my cloak?" She asked quietly.

"Nothing had changed since the last time you asked less than an hour ago." Seraph announced from the other side of the room.

Teira made a face at him and looked back to the map. "Anyway, maybe if we expand the Med Bay out on the right side... and at the bottom so that it extends an extra ten feet... We could connect to the rooms on the other side of that sector and those could be converted into Emergency rooms for the more unfortunate soldiers coming in." She offered.

"We would have to rehouse the ones living there, however I do not think they will mind too much." Erunan agreed. "Expanding the room will take time though."

"We have three months. If we get enough people working on it, then it'll be done in no time." She replied with a soft smile. "So what about this room? Above the Throne Chambers." She asked.

"That is the War room. Military planning occurs there between the captains of different divisions within the Ketch. There are normally about seven to ten captains in each division."

"I see. Are Kells permitted to attend as well?"

"I do not see why not."

"Neat. I'll have to make sure I go to some of those meetings. Now, what about this room? It's pretty big."

"That would be the common area. Ether is distributed there to sustain life among our species." Erunan explained.

"So like a cafeteria then. Cool." Teira grinned.

Erunan looked up at Seraph, who simply shrugged. Teira then looked up from the map at the sound of footsteps outside the room. A moment later, Kalyvaaz emerged, holding a dark silver cloth over this upper right arm. He stalked toward the group and bowed to Teira.

"Your emblem of leadership has arrived." He announced before unfolding the cloth to reveal a cloak that was slightly tattered at the bottom and it sported the icon of the House of Kings in gold on it.

Teira stared at it before she took it with a slight nod. "It's beautiful... Thank you." She muttered.

Kalyvaaz gave a nod as Teira went to remove her brothers old cloak, but she hesitated a moment. Then she slowly removed the old cloth and held it in front of her. She ran her fingers gently over the golden pattern of the wolf head and she gave a soft smile before she neatly folded it and set it to the side on a table.

"If only he could see you now.." Seraph said quietly as Teira took the new cloak. "He would be so proud of his little sister."

Teira quickly put the new cloak on and kept her back to the others, her eyes watery. "Yeah..." She then wiped her eyes and turned to them.

"You look the part of a true leader with that cloak." Erunan observed.

"I would hope so. I still have to go see the Speaker." Teira laughed nervously. "If I didn't look like a leader, then he'd just call bullshit on everything I say."

"Somehow I highly doubt that, seeing as I'll be with you to back up your claim." Seraph argued stoically.

"I guess so." Teira mused. "We should get going then. The treaty won't make itself you know."

Seraph gave a short nod and followed his friend as she walked off, saying her goodbyes to Erunan and Kalyvaaz. Once arriving at the ship, he could tell she was nervous, and who wouldn't be? Most people don't even get to see the Speaker until they become a Guardian. He kept quiet though. If Teira could kill a Kell on her own, then she could most certainly face the Speaker and work out some political agreement. That, he wasn't concerned with.

It was the other Guardians he was worried about.

/

"Alright guys, we have three months to become the effective team that the Speaker wants us to be. Our training starts today!"

Starr paced in front of the other five guardians with her hands behind her back. She then stopped by Raz and turned.

"Raz and Prometheus, you're with me. The rest of you will be the other team. Meet me in orbit in twenty minutes for a few games of skirmish. We need to find out who works the best together. Go get ready." She ordered.

The others gave a nod and all went off to go prepare for the war games. Meanwhile, Starr lingered in the main area of the Tower and she looked out over the city under the Traveler. So much had changed since her revival five years ago. She leaned on her arms that now lay crossed on the railing that kept the Guardians from falling to their demise. Not that it mattered, the dare-devils still jumped sometimes.

"Starr, can I speak with you for a moment?"

She turned her head to see Echo there. The human folded his arms as she turned to face him.

"What do you need?" She asked.

"Do you think we'll be enough?" He asked back.

She was silent for a moment, then she turned her head away. "No. I've asked a.. close friend of mine, to rally other Guardians here at the Tower to gather when we leave. If something goes wrong, they'll be waiting." She answered.

"I see…" He mused, then walked to stand next to her. "You don't expect any of us to come out of this alive then."

"I don't expect anything, Echo." She retorted. "I'm just not trying to get my hopes up. Ferro was almost killed. Ferro! He's among the strongest Guardians known to anybody. If we're gonna have a chance, we need to become an effective team."

"And I suppose this training will be enough?"

"Simple training is never enough."

"So we should all get to know each other personally then?"

She hesitated, remembering her own dark past. Then she sighed. "To an extent. There are things that should remain in the past, for good." She said, looking out upon the city.

"Even you have secrets then. I figured as much."

"Everyone has a secret they don't want anyone to know. Only one person knows mine, and he's been sworn to secrecy after I threatened to dismember him if he told anybody." She laughed darkly. "You, if I'm correct, have no secrets you can remember. Right? You've got no memory of them at least."

"That does not include the secrets I have made in this life. However you are correct. I have no secrets to confess that are as dark and as deep as yours."

Starr made a sound of agreement, and Echo remained silent as he, too, gazed out to the city. The two stood in silence for a while, and some heavy footsteps sounded behind them. Starr turned to see another Exo, Seraph, walking alongside a teenage human girl and she wore an odd article of clothing on her back. It was a dark silver cloak with-

Starr froze and stared. In shiny strips of gold, was the emblem of the House of Kings. A House of the Fallen! She almost went after them to see why the girl wore such a thing, but decided against it as they went up the stairs that would lead them to another section of the tower where the Speaker stayed.

"Echo. Did you see that?" She asked.

"Yeah. That girl has a cloak of the House of Kings." He answered suspiciously. "That's Teira, a daughter of one of the scientists that was killed on the moon. I wonder how she obtained such a thing…"

"I'm wondering the same thing. I'm going to see what they're up to." Starr said, walking off in the direction of which they went.

/

"How did you get this?"

"I killed the Kell of the House of Kings, and they appointed me as their leader."

The speaker reached out and touched the cloth that hung from Teira's arm. She looked up to his mask with a serious face.

"That's exactly what happened, and I've come here to make a proposition." She said, gaining his interest. "The House of Kings is the strongest known House of Fallen on Earth, and I want to make a peace treaty with the Guardians and this House. They're also willing to travel to the Moon and help your team of Guardians that are going there." She explained quickly.

"I see… Having an entire House of Fallen on our side would be a benefit… However I am afraid I cannot just make a treaty based on your words alone. I will need proof before I can fully agree to a will of peace."

Teira gave a nod. "That's understandable. But you accept the help we offer on the moon?"

The Speaker nodded. "Yes. I will make sure the Guardians are aware of this... possibility."

"Good. Have them make their ghosts to work on a translator as well. Seraph's Ghost can send them the basics and they can build off of that. It'll make communicating easier between both parties."

Meanwhile, Starr sat outside at the bottom of the staircase and listened in. She killed the Kell? The girl wasn't even an adult yet, and now she's suddenly a Kell? Not only just a Kell, but the leader of the House of Kings! Having them on their side would be confidence boosting, but how could they trust them after all these years of war?

"You are sure there will be no problems between your House and the Guardians?" The Speaker asked after a moment.

"I can't promise there won't be some tension, but I'll make sure things go smoothly. I'll give you the location of a meeting place between myself, my trusted guards, and your Guardians. Will you have them meet us there in a few days?"

"I will tell them of your request, yes." He replied.

"Thank you." Teira said quietly before she placed her cloak over her shoulders again.

Starr then realized that they were descending the stairs around the corner, so she quickly walked off, acting as if she were busy heading to the New Monarchy group as the two emerged from the Speakers quarters. They seemed to suspect nothing out of the ordinary, so they simply walked off together, muttering to each other as Starr watched them pass.

Things were certainly about to get interesting...

***Due to some... complaining.. I need to say that the idea of The Corrupted came from Mega Megatron. The base idea anyway.**

****All characters belong to their rightful owners. (See chapter 8 for copyrights)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Yeah, Yeah, I know it's late, but still. Exams were kicking my butt plus Christmas shopping with dad took up some time as well.**

**So yeah, new chapter! I've got a pretty good battle scene in this one, so that's always fun. xD Anyway, happy early holidays! Consider this your early gift from me to you! I hope you all have a good week, and I'll try to have the next chapter out by next weekend.**

**Much love!**

"Alright guys, so here's the plan. We're gonna go three to five games and see who works better together. I'm organizing the groups as follows: One team will have one of each class to balance them out in the battlefield. Another team will be one titan, and two hunters. They will be a sort of recon team. The Hunters will be fast, scout ahead, and the titan will back his team up if they are caught. The balanced team will be our main force of battle. When we're on the moon, the scout team will scope out the area, I'm gonna want sit-reps on everything. Numbers, bosses, locations, anything. Then you'll return to the other group, give us the low-down, and then you can help us raise hell. Everyone know their positions?"

Starr glanced around as the men nodded. She then gave a nod and looked to Echo.

"Echo, take your team to the other spawn area and get set up. If problems arise, I want to know about it. First team to lose all their members loses and we swap people around to see if it's any better. Understood?"

Echo gave a nod. "Understood Starr." Then, with a wave of his hand, he led his group away.

As they moved to the opposite side of the area, Starr turned to her group. The breeze from the surrounding lake ruffled her cape. The Rusted Lands area, by request, had been shut down to all other Guardians so that they could practice in peace. They were on the Alpha side.

"Alright guys. Omega team is going to focus on recon and I'm pretty sure Entity and Echo will both have some kind of sniper rifle with them. So if you see them, I want call-outs asap. Prometheus, you focus on counter-sniping. Raz, if they get too close-"

"I'll tear them a new one of they are stupid enough to get close."

"That's what I like to hear." Starr laughed. "Now, I want us all to stick together. There's no reviving on this game type. Once you're dead, you're dead. You are not coming back until the match is over. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am!" The two answered.

Their voices died down and Starr heard the buzzer go off. She hefted her PRAEDYTH'S REVENGE sniper rifle in her arms and looked between the two and then turned to the battle area.

"Let's get started."

/

Three minutes into the match, not a single bullet had been fired. Entity let out a mechanical sigh and leaned against a crumbling wall with his arms crossed as he waited with Veritas standing nearby, waiting for Echo to return from his scouting. The human had insisted on going out alone, that it would lessen his chances of getting caught by the other group.

Entity had scoffed. He could have gotten the scouting done in half the time, and still not get caught. Exo's were build for this kind of stuff after all. He let out another huff and kicked a rock away with his foot.

"Have patience brother." Veritas said quietly, not taking his eyes from their scanning of the area. "Echo will be back shortly, and you will get your turn to scout."

Entity rolled his optics and turned his head away, remaining in a bitter silence. Then, as if on cue, Echo dropped down and slinked in, dusting off his pants.

"They're sticking to the ruined buildings off to the right of the map over by their spawn. If we can get the right angle on them from a distance, then we could take all three of them out in less than ten seconds. That's, if we play our cards right." He said quietly.

"So you're saying we'll need three different vantage points of attack? How will we do that if we only have two people who are using snipers?" Entity argued.

"He never said we would all be sniping..." Veritas brought up, a grin in the tone of his voice.

"Entity, you are better at sniping than Veritas and I." Echo said, his face straight as usual. "I think you should provide cover for us while we go in for the attack."

"Sounds like a plan then." Entity agreed quietly, hefting up his sniper rifle. "Give me a moment to get a good view point, then you can go."

With that, the Exo sniper ran off without another word. Veritas glanced over to Echo and took his shotgun from its holster. Echo took his scout rifle out and looked back to his teammate.

"What are the chances that Starr will think this team will work?" Veritas asked.

"Depends on how this goes. So, I'll take the back end of their spawn, and you take the front?"

"Deal. Good luck." Veritas gave a nod as Echo went off to flank the other team, and a moment later, he went off as well to surround them.

Meanwhile, Entity climbed up onto a high point of the map on a ledge of concrete. He hefted his sniper rifle up and looked into the scope to try and get a view of the other team. He saw no movement for a good ten seconds. He lowered his sniper and huffed.

"Looks like they favor hiding. Some leader _she_ is." He spat.

Out of the corner of his vision, he saw Veritas making his way to the ruined buildings. He guessed Echo was on his way as well, so he raised his sniper rifle again, prepared to pick the other team off when his team forced them out of hiding.

Veritas approached the building warily. He jogged up to the brick wall and pressed his back to it, making sure his shotgun was fully loaded, and then he went around the corner, ready to shoot-

and found nobody there.

He froze, suddenly confused, and that was what costed him his life that round as a sniper bullet pierced his head and sent him sprawling to the dirt, dead instantly. His ghost hovered over his body, signifying that Starr had successfully killed him.

Seconds later, Echo came around the corner and saw his comrade on the floor. He instantly dove behind a wall as another sniper bullet kicked up dust on the ground where he had been seconds earlier. He let out a curse and then quickly made his way to the upper floor of the crumbling building where he was safe from the view of who he guessed must have been Starr. He prayed for a moment that Entity was having better luck.

Said Exo was still on his high ledge, scanning the battle field warily. He had already heard sniper shots and was well alert now. Judging by the way Veritas froze, the other team must have been missing, so now they were in the dark again, and were already one man down. Silently he made a promise to cuss Echo out for screwing up. However, he had little time to think of such things when he saw a glint of titan armor as Raz ran from one point to another. He aimed down his sights and matched his cross-hairs with the titans head, then took the shot. Raz only had enough time to look up in alarm before the bullet hit its mark and he was dead before he hit the ground.

Entity gave a chuckle, however that was cut short when another sniper shot was heard and his ghost popped up on the ledge as his body was sent off and impacted the ground below. He glared at starr through the camera on his ghost as she gave him a two-finger salute and slinked off to find her last target, Prometheus right behind her.

With Raz down, Echo knew things got slightly easier, however he also knew that Entity was down as well. So he faced Starr and Prometheus alone. He brought his shotgun up as he saw two marks on his radar. One to his east, the other to his north. The one to the east approached much faster than the other, so he faced that one first by jumping to the ground floor and he pressed his back to a wall by a doorway, shotgun ready, and then the red mark moved to the center area, indicating that his enemy was very close.

He jumped around the corner and fired two shots. Prometheus dropped to the ground, dead. That left Starr the final standing enemy and she was approaching much faster now.

A little buzz in his helmet told him he was able to use his Blade Dancer ability. So he activated it by pulling out his dual swords and he whipped around to face Starr.

The sound of blades clashing told him that this would be an interesting battle.

Starr jumped back and crouched into an offensive position, her legs bent, and she lunged again with a battle cry. He blocked her strike and shoved her back with a grunt before he went to slash at her furiously. She blocked three of his strikes and kicked him in the chest, sending him backwards. He, however, kept his footing and refused to let up for even a second as he lunged again. She ducked under one of his swords, used one of hers to block his lower strike and she lashed out at him. Her sword struck his chest armor, leaving a long slash in it, however it did not kill him. Yet.

He used this moment to lash back, his blow struck the fabric of her abdomen. The cloth split open and his sword dug itself into the plating underneath. She registered the pain and shouted out, but used her adrenaline to slash him again in the ribs ruthlessly. He hissed out in pain and stumbled back. She pressed onward by round-house kicking him into the dirt, then she shouted in fury, lunging for the killing blow-

and their swords dissolved. Her momentum still carried her toward him, and he quickly pulled out his shotgun as she went for a throwing knife-

However, she was sent flying backwards when Echo fired his gun. Her throwing knife missed his head by an inch and she was tossed to the ground. Seconds passed, and her ghost finally appeared. Echo stared a moment, then slowly stood as his wounds began to heal themselves.

The match was over.

Starr groaned as she slowly picked herself up. Once she was on her knees, she shook her head and looked up as Echo offered a hand. She took it and stood.

"I almost had you there." She said with a light chuckle. "Just an inch to the right and it would have been a tie."

Echo went to reply, however heavy footsteps and an angry shout from Entity made him pause as the rest of the teams approached.

"I swear to the Traveler, Echo! Your faulty info fucked us over!" The Exo raged.

"His info wasn't faulty Entity. I saw him just as he left and ordered my team into another position, rather than attacking him." Starr defended. "Besides, it's not his fault you went to a spot with no cover at all and left you vulnerable."

"Those teams were pretty evenly matched." Prometheus brought up while Entity fumed. "If nothing else works, that should be the set up of the teams."

Veritas and Raz nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I agree too." Starr said while rubbing her shoulder. "We'll have two more matches and then we'll take a short break afterwards. I'll switch places with Echo and then the next match will switch Raz and Veritas." She planned. "Grab your teams and get back to the spawning points."

"Yes ma'am!"

/

_Later that day..._

Teira sighed in boredom as she sat in her chair. Her fingers tapped on the arm as she glanced around the area. Seraph had gone to Venus to take care of some bounties, so that left her with no translator to communicate with anybody!

She would pick up certain words here and there when Erunan and Kalyvaaz spoke to one another. Mainly their names, but it was a start. It didn't help, of course, that the Fallen only knew a few words of the human language, and most of those were derogatory terms.

She was on her own for the moment, as the Guardians were to arrive on the morning of the next day. She sighed and twirled a finger through her orange-brown hair.

Then, an idea struck her. She stood with a resolve and bounded down and out of the throne room, despite Erunans orders for her to remain there until he had returned from a patrol. She quickly made her way to an upper section of the ship. There was a tiny area that some Fallen would store old trinkets and books they would find and eventually sell. Perhaps she could find something of interest there to keep her busy.

When she finally reached the room, she entered quietly and was astounded by the amount of old stuff they kept in the room. Many items were kept on top of shelves while the larger items sat on the floor in piles and piles of treasure. Teira grinned and began to explore, eventually noticing that the Fallen in this Ketch had a tendency to collect shiny things and books that were still mostly intact. It was a wonder they didn't just throw the books out, as it was obvious none of them even spoke proper English.

Eventually, she found a book that sparked her interest, so she sat down to read under the light. However, half-way through the book, she had to put it down, her face a deep shade of red, and she examined the cover. It read: _50 Shades of Grey _on the front. She grimaced and set the book aside before going to skim through other books. Most of them were old classics it seemed. _Moby Dick, Twilight, The Hunger Games._ She found the last to be a pretty good series, and she spent most of the day reading through them.

Once she was done with the books, she went to explore other areas of the room. She gave a hum as she looked upon the different containers and she moved to dig though one, found nothing of true interest, and moved on. The second box, at the very bottom, held something that caught her eye, and she pulled out a sword from the older ages of the Earth. The sword must have been from the 19th or 20th century at least! Maybe something from the civil war, but she had thought that those artifacts had been found and pawned off by now.

She stood in the middle of the room with the sword and smiled before she swung it around a bit. After a while, she also found the sword's holster. After close inspection, she found an encryption of a name etched onto it: David Anderson, 1863.

Teira sat on the floor with the sword and it's casing in her lap. She brushed her finger over the script writing and tilted her head. The sword was from the Civil War era in America. Owned by a man who was long dead now. It was amazing, she thought, to be able to hold a piece of her history in her hands. She smiled softly at the weapon and set it off to the side before she laid on her back, her arms behind her head. Perhaps she would keep the sword. It would have been a shame for it to be thrown out.

She closed her eyes, trying to imagine David's face and what he must have looked like, before she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

/

"Alright crew, I've decided on how the teams should be organized."

The other five members of the fireteam looked up as Starr stood in front of them, arms crossed.

"Oh please, enlighten us O' great leader." Entity muttered.

"I plan to, my pain-in-the-ass comrade." She replied, "I think the balanced team should consist of Raz, Prometheus and Echo. The scouting team will be me, Entity, and Veritas."

"An all Exo scouting team?" Veritas asked, folding his arms. "You sure about that?"

Starr gave a nod. "Yes. I noticed that the Exos in this team are faster and blend in easier when it came to scouting. I also noticed that Raz and Echo work better together in the field of teamwork. I truly believe these teams will work the best. Besides, someone has to keep Entity in check."

"If you say so Starr." Raz said with a laugh while Entity scoffed.

"So, our meeting with this Teira girl is in two hours, and it's gonna take about an hour and a half to get there, so lets hurry and get packed. I was told it was gonna be pretty interesting." Starr said before she began to walk off toward the ship wing of the tower. "Meet me in the shipyard in twenty."

"Aye ma'am."

/

That morning, Teira was woken by the door to the storage room door being opened, then hearing a huff. She lifted her head, eyes cracked open and smiled as Erunan folded both sets of his arms and leaned against the doorway. She then sat up and brushed some hair from her eyes before standing with a yawn.

"Were you worried?" That earned her a huff and some gravelly chatter in his language as he gave a shrug. "Yeah I bet." She sighed as she picked up the old sword.

Erunan eyed it somewhat warily and tilted his head. She looked up at him and grinned as she held up the sword.

"I can't believe you guys even keep this stuff around. I mean, it's cool and all, but you collect books you don't even understand! I'll have to ask you why as soon as Seraph gets back.." She mused to herself as she walked toward the doorway.

Erunan moved out of her way and followed her to the throne room where she was to meet the Guardians. She had yawned twice as they walked and she made it a task to fix her hair up a bit by the time they arrived there. She was also happy to find Seraph standing by her seat and she grinned at him before she took her place. Seraph glanced at the old sword she had found questionably, and she just smiled at him.

"The Guardians are on their way now. I received a message half an hour ago that they were 40 minutes out. So they'll be here in about ten minutes." Seraph explained.

"Okay." Teira said with a nod. "You think they'll be surprised?"

"If my surprise was anything to go by..." He trailed off, not needing to say more.

"Yeah you're right." She replied quietly. "How should I handle this?"

"Just wait here. I'll go meet them in the landing bay and escort them so they don't try and shoot any of the Fallen here." Seraph said before walking off, leaving his Ghost to stay by Teira.

"Good idea." Teira sighed quietly. Erunan looked over to her and she smiled softly. "So, Erunan, why do you guys keep books that you can't even read?"

"That would be something to ask the Dregs. Typically they are the ones who go to collect oddities they find interesting." He said with a shrug.

"I see, well I'll just have to ask one when I get the chance. Anyway, how was your patrol? Find anything I should know about?"

"Some slight Hive activity near the aircraft grave yard. Nothing we could not handle."

"Hmm, well make sure there are a few more patrols in that area then. Not too many, wouldn't want stray Guardians mistaking you guys for the enemy, but just enough to keep those Hive in check."

"Understood." He answered with a nod.

The two then became silent as the doors at the other end of the room opened and Seraph emerged with a group of six people behind him. Teira sat up straight and folded her hands in her lap as the group approached somewhat uneasily. When they were in front of her throne, she stood, her arms out.

"Welcome Guardians." She greeted with a bright smile. "I hope the Fallen here gave you no trouble while Seraph guided you here."

"Yeah, I have to say kid, I wasn't expecting a meeting on a Ketch." The only female guardian stepped forward and crossed her arms. "So, why did you call us here, pray tell?"

Teira glanced over to Erunan, who gave a slight nod, then she looked back to the Guardians. She put her arms behind her back and lifted her head.

"I was appointed the new Kell of this House a little over a week ago. I heard of what was going on at the Moon. And, should you accept my offer, I am willing to help you fight against the forces there." She explained.

Some of the Guardians looked among each other in surprise. One of them crossed his arms.

"Work with the Fallen? Are you nuts lady?" He scoffed. "They'll stab us in the back the first chance they get!"

"Enough, Entity." The woman scolded.

"My comrades have already agreed to follow Teira, and any order she will give. Everyone here has sworn their loyalty to her, and her plan for our future." Erunan added, his voice being translated for the Guardians. "As long as you accept, there will be no trouble with any of them. Otherwise, they will have to answer to me." He growled.

"They don't take treason very lightly here." Teira said with a small grin. "So, Guardians, do you accept my offer for help?"

"Just one question: What about after the fighting's over?" Starr asked.

"I have already sworn to my warriors that I will continue to push for peace between the Guardians and the Fallen. I cannot say there will not be tension between sides, but after we win the war on the moon, together, nobody can say that the Fallen are totally heartless monsters." Teira smiled and looked over to Erunan. "They are living beings, just like you and I. And if things go well, they could help us rebuild. Side against the darkness."

Erunan gave a nod as Teira turned back to the Guardians. "So, do you accept?"

Starr glanced back to the group and thought for a moment. Then, her decision made, she turned back to Teira and put her hands on her hips.

"Miss Kell of the House of Kings, we accept your help on the moon."


	11. Chapter 11

**HEY guys! It's a day late, I know, but we were celebrating my little sister's 16th birthday and I couldn't finish it up, but it's been finished today and I hope it's a good one.**

**There's some made up language in here, as there's no base for Fallen speak. So I just made do with my own mind and translated it for you guys. Most of these sections are shorter than most, but still. Some action will be seen soon, along with some drama and blood! Who doesn't love blood? xD**

**Also, I had wanted to use that poll from before to try and see which pairings you guys would like, but I just wen't "fuck it" and made the pairings myself. xD So yeah, you get to see some cheesy love stuff in here. I'm not too good at writing it, so yeah. Just try and deal with it lol**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you next weekend!**

A week after the meeting, things were going smoothly, just as Teira had promised. She met with the Guardians to make plans for them to get to know some of the Fallen on her Ketch, however Starr had said she would decline until every one of her team members agreed to visit again. And Entity was being a pain.

Teira sighed and rested her head on her palm as she sat in her chair. Her other hand rested on the arm and she tapped her fingers restlessly. Seraph sat nearby, cleaning his INVECTIVE shotgun until it gleamed under the light. His armor sparkled as well after he cleaned it. He seemed happy enough to be doing these things, but it was all he could do really. Without worrying about speeches, or meetings, Teira found herself often becoming bored easily. She went through all the storage compartments in the room, (under Erunan's watch of course) and she had to have explored every corner of the ship, so this left her with virtually nothing to do but sit in her throne and look pretty. She sighed again and tilted her head back, eyes closed, before she ran her hand through her hair. It was still fairly long, reaching down to her middle back and ended in slight curls at the ends. She huffed, then an idea came to her.

She leaned over in her chair and looked over to Seraph. "Hey, do you know when Erunan is coming back from his patrol?" She asked.

"Soon, I would assume. His patrols don't last more than an hour, and if they do, something's gotta be wrong." Seraph answered. "Why?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd try and learn more of their ways." She sighed. "Language, fighting style, hell I'd even try some of their Ether if it meant I wouldn't be so bored anymore."

"Well the first two options I'm okay with, the last one could cause some problems regarding your health..."

"How do you know that? You don't even need human food." Teira scowled.

"Saw an Awoken get curious. He turned a darker shade of blue and puffed up like a balloon. Couldn't do much of anything for an entire week. And that was just one bite of the stuff." Seraph explained. "Unless you want to end up like him, I'd suggest you avoid eating Ether."

"Okay, well, what about their language? You got any basics on that?" She grumbled.

"You could learn from my ghost if you want. It can show you how to write the language too if it comes to that to sate your boredom." Seraph offered.

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll go to my quarters to start learning." She said cheerily as she stood and stretched before walking off briskly.

"Alright. My Ghost will accompany you."

/

"Ahrk, riish, eehr, notra."

"Close. Your pronunciation of Notra needs work." The Ghost informed, blinking its light at her.

"Well tell me if the O is short or long then!" Teira argued in a huff.

"It is long. Notra with a short O translates to boy, while the other version means girl. Sometimes the spelling of the boy can be spelled with a U in the english language to visibly see the difference. So 'boy' would be spelled as Noutra."

Teira groaned and laid her head on her crossed arms. "This is giving me a headache... I think it's time for a break, after three hours of this..." She muttered.

"You were the one who wanted to learn, Teira." The Ghost chided, causing her to lift her head in a glare.

"Shuddup." She huffed. "So what's the next set of words?"

"Light and Dark." Two words came up on a translucent screen and Teira read over them.

"Haad, and Drahh." She chimed. "Simple enough I guess."

She sat back as the Ghost scanned through more words for her to learn and she thought over the events of the past two weeks. First her mother dies, and she became the Kell of the House of Kings shortly after, yet she felt like she wasn't even a true leader. If anything, Erunan was the one giving her all the advice she needed in order to run the Ketch smoothly. He was a huge help during her time here. She couldn't imagine a single time that he was away from her unless he was out on a patrol.

Something twisted in her gut when she realized that in the three hours that had passed, there was no word of Erunan returning from his patrol. She sat up, her hands in her lap as a pit of worry formed in her stomach. Was he in trouble? Or maybe he found something of interest? Perhaps he just needed time to wander and think to himself. These past few days _were _ pretty chaotic, what with the Guardians joining forces and making the treaty.

She sighed to herself. "He's fine Teira. You're just being paranoid." She muttered.

Her head then snapped up when the doors to her quarters opened. Kalyvaaz looked somewhat surprised to see her there and he bowed his head in embarassment.

"My apologies, I was was told you were in this room." He grumbled, Teira already trying to translate his words before the translator spoke them.

She hesitated a moment before she gave a slight tilt of her head. "Did you need anything Kal?" She asked.

He was slightly taken aback by the nickname, but responded quickly. "I received a message from Erunan. He and his patrol team have run into some trouble." He announced.

Teira instantly stood, panic in her chest. "What kind of trouble?"

"They were approached by a group of guardians. Erunan has lost half his squad already and his life will be in danger if we do not hurry."

She swallowed, a frown on her features. "Take me to the ship bay. I want to handle this personally."

"As you wish. Follow me." Her chief of Guard said before turning and walking away at a brisk pace.

Teira followed him quickly down to the ship bay and she boarded with him, three Vandals, and six Dregs along with a Servitor. She stood by him, her lips pursed into a thin frown. On the outside, she was as serious as ever. However, on the inside, she as a mess of worry and fear and anger. She was sick with worry over the time she had before she could be the difference between her friend living another day, or his life being ended by the one unlucky bullet. That fear of losing her friend made her heart pound in her ears, drowning out the hum of the aircraft as it took off. And she was enraged simply by the fact that if she were to be too late, it would mean living a life without the one who helped her to where she was today. The one she truly cared about the most on the entire Ketch...

She shook her head slightly and steeled herself as the seconds ticked by and turned into minutes. Five of them passed and the ship finally start to slow as it dipped over the snowy battle field. The doors below opened up, and she watched as the dregs and vandals all jumped through onto the metal bars before the jumped to form a defensive circle. Teira took a breath, and jumped through as well, mimicking their movements as she dropped onto the ground below. She looked up when she landed somewhat gracefully and was buffeted by a gust of wind and snow. They had, of all things, landed in a minor blizzard.

There was a shout, followed by a gunshot, and one of the dregs dropped to the ground, his head completely gone. A gust of snow passed and Teira connected eyes with a Hunter that was perched on top of a medium building. She raised her hands, shouting "Hold youre fire!". He saw her as well and touched a finger to his helmet.

"Guys, hold fire! We got a civvie out here!" He called. And the firing ceased. "Hey! Mind telling us what you're doing out here kid?" He called out to her.

A gust of wind blew at her cape and she moved forward to get within better hearing range.

"My name is Teira Reynolds. I'm the Kell of the House of Kings, and you're firing at my soldiers!" She shouted above the wind. "I'd ask that you kindly stop and leave this place!"

"You? A Kell? You're shittin' me!" A woman shouted from the left, unseen due to the snow.

The hunter looked thoughtful. "Come into this building here so we can talk in person, miss Reynolds." He said before jumping down and through a set of doors below.

Teira looked over to Kalyvaaz. "Go look for Erunan. Make sure he's okay." She ordered before she ran off toward the building.

The trek was a bit of a tough one, as she had to walk through two feet of snow in order to get there, but after a five minute walk, she made her way inside and saw three Guardians standing inside. Two were warlocks, a male and female, and lastly there was the hunter. He looked over at her and removed his helmet, revealing a handsome human face with messy brown hair and dark brown eyes. She approached him, slightly nervous.

"Did I hear you right? You said you're a Kell of these Fallen?" He asked.

"You did hear correctly. I'm their leader, and we're in the process of making a treaty between us and the Guardians. So killing my soldiers is not the best way to get them on your side."

"We didn't hear about no treaty." The male warlock said, his shotgun resting on his shoulder.

"Well it's in the works." She said, her head snapping in his direction. "These Fallen are my comrades now, and I suggest you respectfully leave this area, and warn other Guardians to avoid shooting at the Fallen in yellow armor." She huffed, looking between the group.

"I don't believe her." The woman hissed, her hands on her scout rifle.

"No, look at her cloak. That's the mark of Kings, no doubt." The hunter pointed out.

"Maybe she stole it..." The male warlock growled, hefting his shotgun to his arms.

Teira held out her hands. "I didn't steal it from them. Would I be defending them if I did?"

Then there was a bark from the doors and she turned to see Kalyvaaz walking in, a wounded Erunan limping with an arm over the guard's shoulder.

"Noutra har sirinal ubeliri." Kalyvaaz growled before turning his head to Erunan. ["He is heavily wounded."]

She paused a moment, translating the words she knew, then she quickly walked over to them as Kalyvaaz let Erunan sit on the floor. "How bad is it? Can he walk?"

Kalyvaaz said nothing as he shook his head. Erunan huffed and held a hand over a bleeding wound in his side. She kneeled next to him and placed a hand on the side of his face mask.

"Don't worry Erunan, we'll get you back to the Ketch." She whispered, showing a worried face. Then she turned back to the guardians, her voice turning icy. "And _you all_ should leave this area and tell your other guardians never to come here. No matter what." She spat angrily.

"We don't have to listen to a little kid, Adam!" The woman complained, going for her gun. "We should just kill them and end this madness!"

Kalyvaaz quickly drew all four of his hand cannons and stepped to block the view of his Kell and injured comrade.

"Ahhk vis zonii rareen!" He roared. ["Over my dead body!"]

"That's enough, Vira. We will leave peacefully." The hunter said, a hand in front of the woman, which earned him a glare through her visor before she lowered her weapon.

"I thought I told you not to call me that." She growled.

The man rolled his eyes and looked back to Teira as Kalyvaaz slowly lowered his guns as well. "We will spread word of your requests, miss Reynolds. Come on guys, lets go."

With that, he and his group walked back outside and vanished in a blue colored light as they went into orbit.

Teira watched as they vanished and then she turned to Erunan.

"Lets get him back to the Ketch and have his wounds looked at." She ordered quietly.

Kalyvaaz gave a nod and lifted Erunan to lean on his shoulder as he called for transport. The snow still raged outside and they waited only a few moments before the transportation arrived and hovered close to the doors and low to the ground so the group could easily climb in. Erunan had grunted in pain from the movement, but he was grateful that he was still alive to see another day.

The next thing he knew, he was laying in the clinical ward of the ship, a few shanks hovered around him. Having been programmed with the knowledge of medical abilities, there was no need for Vandals or Dregs to perform the needed surgeries to heal him.

He dipped in and out of consciousness during the time he was being operated on. He never knew how long it took, but he remembered some whispers in the back of his head. He somewhat recognized them as the shouts of the guardians that wounded him. Especially the womans voice. Something about her was off, and he didn't know why. Just the fact that Teira had been in such close proximity with such a creature was, unsettling, to him.

After a while, he heard another voice, a real one, and he opened his eyes slowly to see Teira standing nearby with Seraph. She was speaking to him in a hushed tone, as to not wake her friend, but it was too late for that anyway. He let out a quiet huff and lifted his head slightly.

The girls head turned toward him and she was by his side in an instant.

"Erunan! How are you feeling?" She asked, resting her hand on one of his.

"Alive." He huffed lightly, earning a smile from her. "How long have I been in here?"

"About six hours." Seraph answered. "Your injuries were few, but heavy. Ten minutes longer and you would have bled out by the time you got here."

A chill went down the captain's spine. He looked back to Teira and blinked as he noticed she was studying his face silently. He blinked at her and then looked to Seraph for an explaination.

"She's never seen Fallen without their armor on before." He said with a shrug.

He then realized with a start that he had no armor on and it all sat neatly by the side of his cot. He turned his head back to Teira and shifted to try and sit up. She didn't stop him from doing so, and when he leaned against the wall behind him, she sat at the side of the cot. She kept her head forward before looking at Seraph. He quickly got the message and left, leaving his ghost in the room. Erunan stared at Teira, a questioning look on his face.

She was silent for a moment, then, her words decided, she spoke.

"When Kalyvaaz came to me, and said you were in trouble..." She began quietly. "It terrified me to my core. I was afraid I would have been too late."

"Yet you were not." He pointed out.

She smiled sadly and gave a nod. "I know. You're right, but... Being so scared of losing you made me realize something..." She looked up at him and bit her lower lip nervously as she folded her hands together in her lap.

Erunan blinked at her and leaned forward slightly to place his upper right hand on top of hers gently. She looked down at his hand for a moment, then she took in a breath and looked at him, tears in her eyes.

"I was so afraid of losing you..." She whispered, her hands trembling under his. "I.. didn't show it because it would have made me look weak... and... and I don't want to be weak, but I can't help but-" She stopped talking as Erunan lifted another hand and placed it on her cheek, using his thumb to wipe away a tear. She sniffed and looked up at him as he studied her face.

"Showing you care is not weakness." He said quietly. "I would have felt the same way if you were the one in trouble.."

She smiled as another tear fell and she leaned her head into his hand as she placed a hand over his. She looked up at him and their eyes met. They sat for a moment in silence before Teira opened her mouth to speak...

/

"I love you."

Starr lifted her head and inwardly smiled, her hand intertwined with her boyfriends as she sat leaned against his chest. She never knew his true name, but she was okay with calling him Frost. That suited him in a strange kind of way. She shifted so that she could look up at him better and he looked down at her.

"I love you too." She laughed. "Any reason you said that so suddenly?"

"You never know when the last time you'll get to say it will be." He said with a shrug. "So, any news I should know?"

She gave a hum as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm not sure if Entity will ever come around to meeting with that Teira girl and her Fallen. We need them on our side, but if everyone on my team doesn't agree..." She trailed off with a sigh. "He's just so stubborn."

"Sounds like someone else I know." Frost chuckled.

She blinked and scoffed. "You're not talking about me, are you?"

"Who else would I be talking about?"

"Good point. But I'm not stubborn!"

"Not as badly as Entity, but you were pretty damn stubborn before." He pointed out. "Remember the time you almost dented my face plate in because I wouldn't let you continue fighting the cabal after your leg got badly damaged? And the time when you insisted upon killing that ogre by yourself on the moon? Then there was the time-"

"Okay I get it. Geez." She scoffed, elbowing him playfully.

"Well would you look at this. I knew you were soft underneath that hard metal shell Starr."

Both Exo's looked up and Starr stood when she saw Raz, Entity, and Veritas approach. She inwardly scowled at Raz's statement. She dusted off her pants.

"What do you need Raz?" She asked flatly.

"Well, believe it or not, I've convinced Entity to agree to another meeting with Teira and her Fallen." The titan laughed.

Starr looked over to Entity and blinked. "You didn't punch it into him, did you?"

"Almost did. He changed his mind real quick when I called Veritas to help me out." Raz laughed.

Starr sighed and rolled her eyes. "Men." She muttered under her breath. "Alright, I'll go call the others and set up a meeting with Teira. Go wait in the common area, I'll be back soon." She ordered.

The three gave a nod and walked off and she turned back to Frost, who seemed slightly disappointed that she had to leave already. She sighed and patted his shoulder.

"We'll get more time together before the three months is up. Don't worry." She tapped her face plate to his and turned to walk off quickly.

He let out a sigh. "Alright."

/

"Scythe has returned, Sir."

Arcviss nodded and watched as Tomb and Reaper took their places to the side while Scythe walked in, a huge, evil grin on her face as she dragged two other people behind her. A human hunter, and an awoken warlock were trapped in her black magic like caged animals, both lay unconscious. She kneeled respectfully when she came to her spot in front of her commander.

"I have located a person who holds a close relation to Ferro." She announced. "Teira Reynolds, daughter of Elizabeth Reynolds, who was one of the scientists killed at the altar. I have learned a negative circumstance about her, however."

Arcviss raised a brow. "And that would be?"

"It seems the House of Kings has acknowledged her as their new leader. She plans to send an army of them along with the six guardians that will be sent here in the spring."

"Well, that certainly is troublesome. I will send Tomb to go assassinate the girl. That will draw Ferro out to you. Reaper and Scythe will handle Ferro when he emerges from the tower. You will be going up against an entire Ketch of Fallen, Tomb. Do not fail me." Arcviss growled before turning away. "You have four weeks, after that, do not bother returning." He added.

"Understood Sir." Tomb answered before walking away, Scythe and Reaper behind him.

"The girl has quite a few strong Fallen by her side, however they have no Archon Priest anymore. He was spotted leaving the Earth system and some witnesses reported that he was being hunted by the Queen of the Reef, and her Fallen slaves." Tomb said, his eyes blinking as the information entered his processor. "All we need now is the location of the Ketch."

"Leave that to me." Reaper muttered.

"Very well." Tomb muttered. "There is a ruined building on the outskirts of the city that no one travels to. We will remain there until our job is done."

"Agreed." Scythe hissed. "I can't wait to get back at that little bitch for talking so rudely to me and our new arrivals."

"Well, then we had better get started then." Reaper said with a wide, evil grin.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! I hope you all had a good New Years! I'm going to be back in school by the next time I update the story, so they might not come out as quickly as they have over break. But I decided to give you guys a treat! This is the LONGEST chapter so far in the entire story! So I hope it'll tie you all over until next week xD**

**Also, I realized that I'm 12 chapters in now, and I haven't said anything about the reviews I've been getting. Especially since I can't reply to the anon ones. So I wanted to thank all of you for giving me awesome ideas and advice. I'd love to be able to use all of your ideas, but I've got most of the rest of this story planned out. The end especially.**

**A few side notes as well: I've got a new poll on my profile if you want to take a look at it. I was just curious to see what you guys thought on the topic, and I might just use the idea of it in future stories that will branch off of this one. I'm also thinking of writing a side story that deals with Starr and her past that leads up to the events of the story. Just kinda flesh her character out a little bit. I'll let you guys know if and when I post it, but until then, let me know if you'd be willing to read it!**

**Anyway, I hope you guys have a good weekend! Enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

><p>"-all Fallen activity in the Kings Watch region of the Cosmodrome has come to a near complete stand still and it's leaving several Guardians confused and even disappointed to find nothing there to kill. However, some say that the Kell of the area is drawing back his troops in preparation for an attack on the Tower. However this is only rumors and stories, as there is no firm proof of this."<p>

Teira scowled at the lady on the television. "Those Guardians spread those rumors, Seraph. I just know it!" She growled in irritation. "I'd like to give that news woman some 'firm proof' with my fist!"

"Calm yourself Teira. The Speaker said he would break the news to the Guardians any day now. Something like this has to be handled carefully." Seraph said, placing a hand on the girls shoulder. "Anyway, I just finished talking with Starr. Seems like Entity finally agreed to meet with us again. They'll be travelling to the Ketch tomorrow morning."

"Awesome. It's about time they met up with us again." Teira smiled. "Lets get back to the Ketch. I want to check on Erunan again." She said quickly.

Seraph rolled his optics. "His wounds won't heal if he doesn't rest enough, Teira. Can't you go an hour without being near him?"

"I can go _a couple _hours..." She trailed off hesitantly.

"Just give him some space." The Exo sighed. "Besides, we still have some shopping to do in the market. I did tell you that I would get you something for Christmas, right? May as well get it to you early."

"Spoil sport." She pouted, then groaned. "Fine. Lead the way."

Seraph inwardly grinned and led the way through the city that sat under the Traveler. He had insisted upon returning to get his friend out of the Ketch and stretch her legs a bit, as well as cure her stir-crazy symptoms. Christmas was also right around the corner, and she had been so busy running things at the Ketch to realize it. He had spoke of celebrating it, but she had declined for this year, saying it wouldn't be the same without her mom, and that there was just too much to do to worry about presents and the such.

He could at least buy her a gun for Christmas though.

"So when does your training with Kalyvaaz begin?" He asked as they walked along the sidewalks of the market.

"After the meeting with the Guardians. Soon enough, I'll be able to fight for myself!" She grinned.

"Well that's good. At least you'll know how to defend yourself if I'm away."

"Yep. Also means I can fight alongside the soldiers." Teira added cheerily.

"Hm, well if that's the case, then you may as well train with a sniper rifle. If you get too close to a Knight in a battle, then you'd be done for. Better to keep you away from the main part of the fight."

"It's a start, I guess."

"Right," He paused as they walked up to a gun shop. "Here we are."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You took me all the way out here, to look at old guns?"

"I took you out here so I could _buy_ you some guns." He corrected as they walked in.

The door gave a little chime and an elderly man looked up from his television and coffee mug before he stood, disposing of the cigar that had hung from his white mustache. His eyes were squinted with age and he seemed to be in his late 60's perhaps. He leaned over the front desk curiously.

"Guardian." He greeted with a thick southern accent and a tip of his head. "What can I do for you and this young lady?"

"I came to buy her some weaponry. She's been wanting to learn how to shoot for the longest time, figured now would be a good time." Seraph half-lied.

The mans eyes flicked to Teira, who smiled sheepishly and gave a small wave. The man blinked at her.

"You're Elizabeth's little girl. Right?" He asked.

"Um, yeah." Teira answered.

"I heard about what happened. You have my regards, Teira. Here, since Christmas is right around the corner, I'll give you a special gun for free." He said suddenly, then turned around to open up a glass case behind him. After a moment, he pulled an auto rifle out and set it on the counter for Teira to see.

"This rifle used to belong to your father." The man stated. "Tell me, Teira, do you know how Guardians come to be?"

She gave a nod. "They're all people who had been dead before, and then revived by their Ghosts."

"Have you ever been told how your brother came to be a Guardian? You were only about a year old then, when it happened."

"My... my mom never brought it up. She never liked talking about it, and wouldn't let Brandon talk about it either. So no."

"I was there. He was only thirteen at the time, but boy was he a brave one." The man gave a hidden smile. "...Some Fallen had passed through the wall. Not many, enough to stay hidden under our radars. There were maybe about three or four of them. Your brother noticed them, and shouted in alarm. In the commotion, the Fallen shot him and he died from his wounds. However, only a day passed before he was revived by a Ghost."

"Wasn't he a little too young to be a Guardian then?" Teira wondered, now leaning on the glass counter.

"Yes, he was. And your mother was not the least bit happy learning that he was chosen to continue the fight as a warrior of the light. He insisted though, and Cayde took it upon himself to train Brandon how to be the perfect hunter." The man laughed. "Those two, I swear, after your father left you all behind... I'm sure Cayde was more of a father to him as that deadbeat of a man ever was. However, Brandon still held onto this rifle as a reminder of the man he vowed never to become."

Teira took the gun gingerly and ran her fingers over the top of it gently. "How did you get this?" She asked.

"Your mother sold it to me. Apparently you needed the money after things went south. I would assume that doesn't matter now though, does it?"

Teira picked up the weapon, looking it over carefully. "Well, you know a lot of things relating to my family. Have any info about Brandon's death? I was never told how he died because they never found his body. Only his Ghost and his cape."

"Well, that much is true. However I'm not sure how he died. Only that he was killed on the Moon all those years ago. I can only assume that it was the Hive or the Fallen residing there." The man said with a shrug.

"That's unfortunate, but thank you for the gun. I'll use it well."

The man barked a laugh and nodded. Then Seraph walked forward, wanting to buy a sniper rifle for Teira. He bought a lighter gun so that Teira could have a chance at carrying it at least, and they left after saying their goodbyes. Teira held onto the auto rifle with a tight grip, a thoughtful frown pursed on her lips as they made their way back to the tower. And they were unaware of the narrow-eyed glare coming from a pale woman, with bleached hair and sunglasses.

* * *

><p>"Arcviss, how goes the search for Ferro's friend?"<p>

"We have a lead, sire. A young girl that is the orphan of one of the scientists."

"Good. And I take it you have already devised a plan in luring Ferro out when the girl is killed?"

"Yes." Arcviss answered quietly.

There was a moment of silence, and then the mysterious man turned to his follower. He then stepped out into the lighted area of the room, revealing a young man with pitch black eyes and cracks around them just like the other corrupted Guardians. His skin was a tanned color and his hair was a dark brown color, cut into a slightly scruffy style that pointed up in the front.

"Tell me, what is this girls name?" He asked.

"Teira, sir." Arcviss answered. "Teira Reynolds."

The leader of the converted paused a moment. The name sounded familiar to him, yet he could not place the memory in which he knew the girl by name. Perhaps she was someone close to him in his past life. He shook his head and turned back to the darkness of the room. Arcviss looked up curiously.

"Is something wrong, sir?" He asked.

The man stayed silent a moment, then finally answered with a slight sneer. "...No. There is nothing wrong. Do what you must."

Arcviss hesitated, then gave an obedient nod and turned to leave.

Meanwhile, the leader stared into the darkness for several minutes. The memory was there, he knew the girl from somewhere, if only he could place where...

Evening approached eventually, and he gave up on trying to remember. He had a war to plot, Guardians to corrupt, light to drive away. There was no time to spend on pointless memories! So, with a growl, he stalked out of the headquarters and walked through the caves of the moon. Any hive he encountered hissed and fled, knowing who he was and that he was not a force to be trifled with.

He never knew who he was before, and he didn't care. He had a war to fight against the Traveler, he needed to make the people see that Humanity will end up just like the Fallen: to have everything one moment, only to have it ripped away when the Traveler leaves. The Darkness was trying to rid the world of the miracles and life-prolonging technology, there were hardships that they were ignoring, and it needed to stop.

He would not fail this war...

* * *

><p>Later in the evening, Teira sat on the end of her bed, the auto rifle in her hands still. She examined every part of the weapon, learned from Seraph on how to clean it properly and she even tested its sights a bit in the cosmodrome. Now, Seraph was out working on missions and she was left alone with her thoughts, and the gun.<p>

She let out a small sigh. She wasn't a guardian. So if she died while fighting... she was gone for good. She had no ghost to revive her and even if she did, she wouldn't be invincible. If a ghost was destroyed, then she was a goner. She hated it, but Seraph had been right. It would be safer for her to distance herself from the heat of the fighting. Although, she supposed it was better than doing nothing...

Teira pursed her lips and stood to go set the rifle in a safe area before she changed into her night clothes- a loose t-shirt and some shorts, before she crawled under the covers of her bed. She rested her head on the pillow, and waited for sleep to claim her. Meanwhile she thought about what tomorrow's meeting with the Guardians will have in store for her. Maybe some battle training? Who knew what Starr had in mind. She could guess all night long and never know for sure what would happen.

She sighed slowly through her nose and closed her eyes as her breathing became even and slow. Teira then drifted off to sleep, unaware of the corrupted Guardian sitting in her ship just outside of the radar range.

Scythe grinned as she took notes of her location in reference to the Ketch. The ship was huge, but those Fallen didn't stand a chance against the dark guardians. She picked up her radio and put it to her lips, still grinning.

"Reaper, I've sent you the location of the ship. Meet with Tomb and I in the old building and we'll discuss a plan. Got it?" She said.

"Loud and clear." Her comrade replied through his radio.

Scythe gave a laugh before she turned her ship around and flew back to the tower to meet with the other two. She couldn't wait to see the look on the girls face when they would storm into the throne area, eager to slaughter her.

But first they had to lure Ferro to the area...

She thought about it, and was disappointed to learn that the only way to lure Ferro there, was to force Teira to call him there. Scythe huffed in annoyance as her ship swerved to the left and headed for the Tower. She supposed they could just kill the girl afterward...

Eventually, she landed her ship in an open space on top of the abandoned building. It was an old factory, it seemed. There was a lot of old tech collecting dust in there, but she didn't care. A little dust never killed anyone.

Once inside, she met up with Tomb and Reaper. They looked up when she arrived and she sat with them.

"So she's keeping the Ketch in King's Watch? Should've saw it coming." Tomb grumbled.

"Any other place, and she would have had a war with other Houses of Fallen to deal with. So it's predictable, really." Scythe huffed.

"How did you find it so quick?" Reaper asked. "I thought it was my job to get the location."

"I saw her in the market today with her Exo friend. They were buying guns, no doubt so that she could learn how to use them." Scythe answered matter-of-factly.

Reaper gave a nod. "I see, well we had better hit the Ketch before she can learn then, huh?"

"Yes, also, if we're going to lure out Ferro faster, we need to avoid killing her straight away." Scythe brought up. "We should force her to call Ferro there, so we can ambush him when he arrives."

"But we'll need leverage against her." Reaper pointed out.

"...The Exo." Scythe said suddenly. "The one she was with today... They seemed to be close friends. We capture him, threaten to kill him, and she'll crack. I just know it."

"And how do you suppose we'll do that? I don't think he'll just _let_ us capture him." Reaper argued slightly.

"The same way we caught Tomb. The guy seems to be honorable enough. Say I was trapped under some rocks in a cave and you need a Titan's help to get me out. Strike when his back is turned." Scythe said with a shrug as she looked over to Tomb.

"It would be a useful tactic. We capture him tonight, and storm the Ketch tomorrow morning." He ordered as he stood.

"Understood." The two answered in response.

* * *

><p>"And here is my last bounty for tonight."<p>

"...Bounty accepted." The littler robot replied as Seraph turned to walk away. The bounties would go into his database and the Vanguards would know of his progress to his next rank.

Tonight, like any winter night at the Tower, was chilly. However, as an Exo, Seraph didn't need to feel the sensations of such effects that would cripple organics. He was a machine, unbreakable in most ways, and more keen to his surroundings than humans and Awoken.

However, this night, his sense of duty would betray him.

"Guardian! I need your help! It is urgent!" A male voice called from nearby.

Seraph turned his head to see a human hunter jogging toward him, somewhat out of breath. The man had white hair and dark glasses on that matched the colors of his armor. Seraph scanned the man cautiously before acknowledging his words.

"What can I do for you?" The Exo asked.

"My friend and I were patrolling the cosmodrome and there was a cave-in. There's a large pile of rocks in the way that I can't lift. She won't last long in there either. I need the help of a Titan." The man explained quickly.

Seraph blinked at the man, then sighed quietly. "Alright. Lead the way sir. I'll help as best I can." He agreed.

The man gave a nod and led Seraph to the ship bay where they took off toward the cosmodrome. Seraph remained silent as he was led to an area where the rusted ships sat, normally over run with Fallen. However, there were fewer than normal. Seraph dropped out of his ship and into the area with the human hunter, then followed him over to a cave where many large rocks sat, blocking the exit. The human then called out to his friend.

"Vira? I've come back with help! You'll be out of there in no time!" He shouted.

"Oh thank the Traveler!" A woman cried back, holding a grimace at being called by her old name again.

Seraph then got to work, and effortlessly hefted a large rock out of the way. The human began to help as well, lifting the smaller rocks away as the woman waited inside. They lifted rock after rock for nearly a half hour. Eventually, the human began to help less and less until finally, Seraph noticed that he wasn't around anymore.

He straightened out his back and stood up straight as he looked around.

"Where did-"

He never got to finish his question before the rocks in front of him exploded with a dark force, and he was sent flying backwards from the impact of the explosion. He hit the ground hard with a grunt and he heard the woman shout out.

"Now Tomb!"

Another Exo then came into his vision followed a second later by a lightning covered fist. He had only time to give a curse before his processor shut down, sending him unconscious. And his world faded to black...

* * *

><p>Teira huffed and tapped her foot on the floor as she sat in the throne room. Some fallen guards stood around, chattering to one another quietly. She had a frown on her face as she rested her head on her hand, in which her elbow sat on the arm of the seat. It was already nine o' clock in the morning, and Seraph still hadn't returned from his bounty missions yet. She was slightly irritated at him for staying out so long. He was a vital person in the making of this alliance with the Guardians, and knew how to keep peace way better than her.<p>

She sighed softly, then looked up when Kalyvaaz entered the room. She stood, a hopeful face on her features as he approached. He stopped in front of her and slowly shook his head with a sigh.

"Nud aahrast eir semma noutra." He sighed. ["We could not find him."]

Teira processed the words she knew, and her face fell as she flopped back into her seat. She couldn't help but feel as if something was wrong, and caused him to not return. Maybe she was just being paranoid again, but then again, her paranoia turned out to be true with Erunan...

"If he doesn't make it to the meeting, that's fine. We'll continue to search for him afterward." She said quietly, getting a nod in response from the guard. "The Guardians will be here soon, I can't spend all day worrying about Seraph. He can handle himself anyway." She sighed hesitantly.

She wanted to worry about her friend. She _was _worried for him still. But she had to focus on the meeting first before she could focus on finding him. Teira went back into her brooding state as her thoughts wondered off again. Kalyvaaz went off to speak with the other Guards while they waited.

Erunan was already beginning to heal from his wounds, and he longed to get up and go back to his job, however, to his annoyance, Teira had not let him. She smiled, he was stubborn and hard-headed, brave too. She, though, had a duty to keep any more soldiers from dying out there. Although she had to give in a little, and she allowed him to roam around the Ketch for a limited amount of time when he wanted to move about. He had reluctantly agreed to that rule after Kalyvaaz talked him into it.

The doors to the front of the room opened up again and she looked up when one of the lesser Vandals came rushing in, out of breath, and went to Kalyvaaz to report something to the Guard.

"Siidr atal guardians veraan. Eir nid utali unesev aladis." He hissed. ["Some strange guardians arrived. Not the ones we're expecting."]

Kalyvaaz blinked and looked up to the doors, then to Teira. Then he turned to another small group of guards.

"Hiisaad nid Kell!" He ordered loudly before drawing his weapons and storming off. ["Protect the Kell!"]

Teira sat forward and blinked as she translated the words that she knew. What was going on exactly? Some guardians were in the Ketch, but not the ones they were expecting. How did they find the Ketch in the first place?! She stood up, curious as to what was happening, however a guard told her to stay put so they could protect her. She reluctantly sat down again and anxiously tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair. Her eyes flicked over to where the old sword sat, resting on the floor nearby the seat. She got up and grabbed it, just to feel safer. She knew it wouldn't block bullets though, but it was a start...

Ten minutes passed, and the doors to the room opened again, but nothing came through just yet. She stared at the doors, awaiting what would emerge, and she was slightly shocked to see a hunter and a warlock come strolling through. She watched them carefully, and a guard next to her snarled and went to draw his weapon.

"Wait." Teira said suddenly, putting a hand in front of him, and she narrowed her eyes at the newcomers. "What do you want?" She hissed.

"Your help." The hunter said darkly. "Call Proditor Ferro to a set location, and we will leave you and your Fallen puppets alone." He lied.

She frowned at them and stood from her seat. "Why would you want me to call Ferro? He's still at the Tower recovering from his injuries."

"We have some... unfinished business with him." The man growled, eyeing the sword in the girls hand. "Of course, you will have to come with us..."

The guard next to her growled, obviously uneasy just by looking at these guardians. She glanced at him, then to the guardians.

"...And what if I _don't _call Ferro..?" She said, a slightly nervous face on her features.

"Well, our friend Tomb will show you... Tomb, bring out our _guest_." The warlock called.

Teira's eyes flicked to the door, then she gasped when a titan dragged the limp body of Seraph into the room, and dumped him on the floor for all the Fallen to see. He was horribly damaged all over, as if he'd been run through a shredder, then dumped into a fire pit. Bits of his armor were missing, and damaged all the way through to his body plating and even pieces of that were missing. A section of his head plating, above his left eye, was peeled back, as if someone tried to gain access to his processor. Half of his jaw part was broken and dented and one of his optics flickered on and off, hanging by only a thin wire in his socket, having fallen out due to part of his face plate breaking away.

"Oh my God..." She breathed, a hand over her mouth. "What... What have you done?!"

"This, will be the fate of you and your entire army of Fallen if you refuse to do what we ask." The titan boomed, placing a foot on top of the barely alive Seraph.

Teira felt tears come to her eyes as she stared at her wounded friend, then her body began to tremble as she walked forward to face the three guardians. Her guards shifted nervously as she gripped the old sword in her hand, then she stopped in front of the group, her head high as she tried to keep her composure.

"I... I will agree to your terms, as long as you promise to leave Seraph here, and that this House of Fallen remains undisturbed by you." She said, her voice shaking.

"Wonderful. Come along little Kell. Ferro will have quite the surprise in store for him." The Hunter said, grabbing her arm and pulling her away roughly.

She looked back at the Guards as a few slowly approached Seraph and lifted him to a safer location, and the others stared after her, confused about what to do. Then she was dragged down the many hallways, some of which were littered with the bodies of Dregs and Vandals as they lay in pools of their own blood. She had to choke back a sob of grief when she saw so many of her followers, truly believing she could _protect _them, only to be cut down in the path of these merciless people.

When they reached the ship bay, she was shoved into one of the ships and stayed silent as they took off. She prayed that Seraph would be okay, that she would be okay too once this was over...

* * *

><p>"You did <em>what<em>?!"

Kalyvaaz recoiled when Erunan shouted in his face angrily. He took a step away from the enraged Captain, his top set of hands raised.

"There would have been nothing I could do even if I _had_ been there! The guards all said she went willingly to save us and Seraph." He explained quickly. "The other guardians will arrive soon, when they learn of what happened, I am sure they will help us rescue her."

Erunan huffed through his nose and paced on the floor of the medical ward, where Seraph had been taken once the kidnappers had left. The Exo had yet to respond to anything, so all they could do is wait until either someone could fix him, or he somehow recovered on his own. Kalyvaaz watched as Erunan paced around the room, the guard felt guilty for leaving his Kell, but there really was nothing he could do.

"Come, Erunan. We should wait for the Guardians in the throne room. They need to know what happened as soon as possible." Kalyvaaz offered quietly.

The Captain paused in his pacing and stared at the floor. Then he sighed and gave a nod before walking off with a slight limp toward the main room of the Ketch, Kalyvaaz in tow. All of the Fallen were silent when they passed, most cleaning up the bodies of the ones that were killed. They were almost to the throne room when Erunan spoke up again.

"We do not even know where they took her..." He growled.

Kalyvaaz placed a hand on his friends shoulder. "We will find her, Erunan. None of us will rest until we know our Kell is safe."

"...Your words offer little comfort right now, but I will pray that they are correct. And I will help in the search for her."

"But your wounds-"

"They do not matter. I have healed enough to fight again, and I will fight until I find her. You cannot stop me." Erunan snarled at the Guard.

Kalyvaaz remained silent, staring the Captain in the eye until the latter gave a snort and continued on. He watched his wounded friend for a moment. Not many on the Ketch knew of the growing relationship between Erunan and Teira, and for good reason. Not many would accept it. Accepting a human for a Kell was hard enough as it was. Bystanders would pass his behavior off as loyalty to the Kell, but Kalyvaaz knew what most did not. In the open, Erunan and Teira were friends, but behind closed doors... things were a little different.

The guard shook his head and followed Erunan to the throne room. Starr and her group would have to wait for their meeting to start. He could only pray that they would be willing to help find Teira...

* * *

><p>"Ferro, I need you to meet me at this location. There are people here who need your.. help. Please hurry."<p>

"You have an hour, Proditor Ferro." A man spoke up in the message. "Don't dally too long."

Ferro frowned as he listened to the message a third time, and he was certainly confused. It was most definitely Teira's voice, and she sounded terrified. However, what confused him the most was that she included _two _sets of coordinates. One sat in the western most part of Kings Watch, and the other rested in the mothyards of Russia. He tilted his head as he tried to figure out which one she was at, and why the other was in there.

Then it clicked.

Earlier that day, the Speaker had sent a message out to all Guardians, explaining that the House of Kings was withdrawing because they wanted to avoid any death while they formed a temporary alliance with the Guardians. Perhaps Teira had a part of it... She _wanted _him to go to the Kings Watch location first, if his hunch was correct.

The man leaped from his seat and he grabbed his hunters cape as he made his way out to the docking bay where his ship waited.

He then set out to the location in Kings Watch. The flight didn't take long, ten minutes tops. He arrived to the location, and was shocked to see a Ketch, sitting in an alcove inside a large rock formation, being pretty well hidden. He landed near the Ketch and observed from a distance. Was this the House of Kings perhaps?

Below him, at the bottom of the alcove, he saw a group of six guardians entering the Ketch. He recognized Starr, Raz, Echo, and Entity from seeing them in the Tower every now and then.

Ferro began to make his way down to the entrance and he followed them in only minutes after they disappeared into the ship. He walked along a few halls, some of which were stained with blood of the Fallen, but the bodies had already been moved. He followed the trail, knowing that the group he saw must have been just as surprised to see it as he was.

Eventually he began to hear voices, and he arrived in the throne room of the Ketch. He stopped as one of the Guards, donning what resembled as a Titan helmet, looked up at him. The Fallen in the room bristled and hissed, some drawing weapons. Ferro held up his hands, narrowing his eyes as Starr turned.

"Wait! Hold your fire!" She commanded, then looked to him. "Ferro? What are you doing here? How'd you find this place?"

"Perhaps it is because we face a similar problem." He brought out his ghost and played the message that had been sent to him. A few of the Fallen shifted when they heard their Kell's frightened voice play through it. "She sent me two locations. She knew you would be here, and that we could help her by devising a plan. The ones who took her are really after me, and if my hunch is correct... They are part of the Corrupted army on the moon."

"Damn. Those bastards were too scared to take you on in the Tower." Starr cursed as she folded her arms. "So what do we do then?"

Ferro thought a moment, then Echo spoke up.

"Ferro, they wanted to see you, no? Perhaps you could go see what they want. We could set up an ambush and strike them while they are distracted by you." He offered.

"We will help." Kalyvaaz agreed with a growl of broken english.

"They wanted to see me an hour after the message was sent, that means we have... less than a half hour to be there." Ferro brought up.

"Plenty of time." Raz said while cracking his knuckles.

"What's the location where you're supposed to meet them?" Starr asked.

"In the Mothyards. The locations coordinates were included in the message."

Starr thought for a moment, and she glanced over to Kalyvaaz as an idea began to form in her head. A minute passed before she stepped forward, everyone looked to her as she prepared to speak.

"Alright, I have a plan to rescue Teira." She began. "So this is what we'll do..."


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi Guys! I hope you had a good week and I've got another chapter to start off your weekends! There's really nothing much to say here, save for the fact that the last third or so of the chapter might not be as good. I did find myself writing this while I was extremely tired. Ahah... I need sleep. And there's the fact that I still have a poll that's _TIED_ right now. So yeah, go vote on it! I need more than three people! xD**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

"He has twenty minutes left... Do you think he'll make it?"

"He has to. Otherwise the Reynolds family is done for."

Teira kept her head low and pulled against the binds that kept her hands behind her back. She sat on her knees in the snow that had fallen in the weeks before and the cold was beginning to seep into her suit. It must have been in the negatives at the moment. She shivered and puffed a long breath into the cold air.

The people were being patient for now. And the worst that was done to her so far was some bruising on her arm from being forced still and bound. However, she was scared that the peace wouldn't last. The warlock kept glaring over at her, as if wanting to kill Teira herself.

Her eyes flicked over to her old sword, that lay in the snow a few feet away. If only she could get to it without the Guardians seeing her. She could easily cut through the ropes that kept her from moving. However her time was running thin when the sound of a ship rose over the cliffs, then a ship came into their sights, and hoverred over the ground nearby, then Ferro dropped onto the ground, a gun in his arms, and he walked toward them calmly. The three Guardians all stood between Teira and Ferro, who stopped walking about twenty feet away.

"What do you want?" He asked loudly.

"We have some loose ends to tie up, Ferro." The hunter replied, a hand on his weapon as well. "I take it you recognize Scythe and Tomb."

Ferro gave a slight nod and tightened his grip on his gun. "Yes, come to think of it, I do remember you. The ones who betrayed us on the moon, like fools."

"_You _were the foolish ones!" Scythe hissed out. "You were so easily tricked into following us to the altar!"

"Tell you what, I will make you all a deal." Ferro threw his weapon into the snow. "If one of you can defeat me in hand-to-hand combat, then I will go quietly."

"Why would we do that, when it will just be easier to shoot you now and get it over with?" Tomb questioned.

"Whoever defeats me, can boast that they killed the great Proditor Ferro without the use of bullets." Ferro said, his eyes narrowed behind his helmet. "So, do any of you accept my challenge, or are you too afraid?"

The Guardians looked among each other as they sorted out who would take Ferro on. Meanwhile, Teira kept a close eye on them as she inched toward her sword. Silently, she moved it so that its blade pointed up, and she sat with her back to it so she could begin to cut through the ropes. She kept her eyes on the three in front of her as they sent Tomb up to face Ferro. The two stood, facing one another about five feet away. Ferro seemed relaxed and confident. Tomb was in a similar stance, save for his clenched fists.

A moment of silence passed, and the two just stood there, trying to measure the amount of strength the other possessed. Then, with a shout, Tomb lunged, fists ready to hit their mark. Ferro stepped to the side at the last second, avoided the blows, and landed a kick to the Exo's mid-section. Tomb grunted as he stumbled to the side, and he turned and lunged again. Ferro dodged one of the attacks and took the second to the chest. Ferro stumbled back, and quickly regained his footing in time to avoid another attack and he landed an uppercut to Tomb's jaw. The titan growled loudly and landed on his back in the snow, but he was quickly up again and ready to attack.

The two fought for a while before there was a noise on the horizon, a roar that was familiar to Teira. Her head snapped up, a smile on her face as her bounds finally came undone. She pretended that her hands were still together, however, as Reaper ordered Scythe to go check out the sound and take care of the Fallen patrol. Slowly, she grabbed onto her sword, waiting for Scythe to arrive at the top of the nearby hill where the sound came from. When she was there, a single sniper shot rang out, piercing her head and she screeched in agony as her body exploded in flames. Reaper and Tomb snapped their heads up in alarm.

"Never take your eyes off the enemy!" Ferro boomed as his fist connected with Tomb's face, sending the Exo to the ground.

Reaper growled as Tomb attempted to stand, then when he saw the titan move, he ran off to go see what had killed Scythe. That was when Teira moved. With a shout of anger, she lashed out and struck Reaper in the back of the leg with her sword. He shouted out in pain and fell, blood already seeping into the snow, painting it red. He glared at Teira as the girl was standing, ready to run. He, however, drew a throwing knife and tossed it in her direction. She yelped and ducked underneath it as it narrowly missed her head by barely an inch. Then there was another shout from the ridge of the hill. Both of them looked up to see the Six Guardians, plus Kalyvaaz and Erunan as they charged down the hill, guns ready.

Reaper cursed as he staggered to his feet, and he withdrew his Spectre and quickly made his retreat as Ferro threw Tomb to the ground again, and this time, did not let the Exo get up again. Tomb shouted and struggled as Ferro kept him down with a foot to his chest, then the Enforcer drew a hand cannon and aimed it at the Exo.

"You will pay for hurting my friends. However, you may have some useful information for us. Talk." He growled.

"I'll never betray my leader!" The Exo shouted angrily as the others walked over.

"Why did you come for me?" Ferro hissed, pressing down with his foot to cause the Exo to sink in the snow more.

"You're the only one who knows where the altar is." Teira pointed out. "They said they came to tie up some loose ends, I think they wanted to keep the location hidden."

Ferro didn't take his eyes off of the titan below him. "Is this true?"

Tomb stayed silent, then, slowly, a dark laughter began to emit from his helmet. "You... Will never defeat him. Warriors of the light are doomed, you were all doomed ever since you discovered the Traveler on Mars! The Darkness will be our savior! There is nothing you can do to sto-"

He never got to finish his speech as a bullet ripped through his head, and he spoke no more as the robotic body twitched and finally lay still. Ferro removed his foot and placed his gun in its holster. A black resemblance of a ghost popped up, trembled, then dissolved into a black mist. Teira and Ferro glanced at each other, then Ferro put away his gun with a frown.

"Teira, are you all right?" He asked quietly.

"Yes I'm fine." She replied. "Just a bit of bruising, that's it."

He gave a nod then. "Come, lets return to the Tower. The Speaker must know about this event." He said while drawing out his ghost.

"I'll meet you all there later." Teira said quickly. "Warn the others, Ferro. The Ketch that's about to arrive his not hostile. We'll try to arrive as quietly as we can. It's the only way I can transport Seraph to the Tower safely."

Ferro stared at her a moment, then gave a nod. "Very well. We will expect your arrival soon, Teira."

Teira gave a nod as the seven Guardians vanished into their ships. After they all flew off, she turned to Erunan and blinked as he held out his hand to her. She, however, folded her arms and raised a brow.

"And what do you think you're doing out of the medical ward? Shouldn't you be resting?" She scolded.

He blinked at her, then huffed as he withdrew his hand. "Pardon me for wishing to help rescue my Kell." He sneered.

Teira smiled softly and reached out to take one of his upper hands. "I appreciate the thought." She laughed quietly. "I suppose I could let it slide as long as you don't pull any stunts for the next week or so. I need all of my warriors at their best if we're gonna have a chance on the moon."

He gave a grunt of agreement and followed as they walked over to Kalyvaaz as he called for transport. He turned to them when he was done.

"Teira, I do not mean to question your decision, but are you serious about taking the entire Ketch to the Tower? We do not wish to frighten the civilians there.." He said.

"I'll make sure to have the Ketch hidden from view and I'm not parking it directly by the Tower. I just need it close enough to be able to get a cloaked ship there and back so we can get Seraph some help." She explained, earning a slow nod from her guard.

"Very well, our transport will arrive soon. Should I tell the pilots of the Ketch to remain ready for departure?" He asked.

"Go ahead." She replied with a slight nod, then she looked over to Erunan. "Was he still out when you guys came after me?"

"To my knowledge, yes." He glanced down at her as her face fell. "I am sure he will be alright after some repairs and some time, Teira."

She slowly nodded and folded her arms as he placed an arm around her gently. "Yeah... I hope so." She muttered as the drop ship came into view.

The three remained silent as they boarded, and Teira was more gloomy now than she was when she came to him after learning of her mothers death. Erunan could tell the girl had a lot on her mind at the moment, and he also knew Seraph wasn't the only thing occupying her thoughts. The corrupted Guardians were after her, and Ferro. Things could get very dangerous if they decide to persue them further.

The ship was opening its exits in the docking bay when he finally spoke.

"Teira, this mission to the moon may have to take place earlier if we are to stand a chance." He said suddenly, causing Teira to look at him.

"What makes you say that?"

"If the corrupted ones were able to invade our Ketch, and capture you, then they are much stronger than we thought. It took only three of them to invade this place." He grumbled as they began to make their way to the bridge of the ship. "If the one that escaped tells that we will hit the moon in less than two months, then it will open a window to strike before they are prepared."

"I see, I'll have to ask the Speaker about it when we get there." She muttered.

"We?"

"You and Kalyvaaz are coming with me." She stated, looking directly ahead.

"Teira, you know the Guardians there will not like this..."

"They have no choice." She huffed. "I won't let them hurt you. I'm sure they'll be more worried about Seraph. He's pretty popular among most of them there."

"I see... I hope you are right." He sighed as they walked through the large doors that led to the control room.

Kalyvaaz was already there, standing over the Vandals that controlled the ship, and he was instructing them on where to go. One of them looked nervous, well, all of them were nervous. However this one was the one who questioned his orders, only to get hissed at by Kalyvaaz. Teira could only watch for now, the life of her friend was on the line right now and she didn't have the energy or patience to deal with anything else at the moment.

So, the Ketch took off and had the Tower in sight in minutes. It amazed her that ships this size could travel so fast for being so big. She looked up at the monitors as the Tower came into view and grew closer. She moved her arms behind her back.

"Land a half-mile behind the tower. It's right on the edge of their borders, so we should keep out of the danger zone at least. We'll take Seraph on board a transport ship and get him there safely. Kal, go to the docking bay and wait for us there. It's just going to be you, me and Erunan to escort him, I don't want the Guardians getting too unsettled. I'm going to the medical ward to make preparations to transport Seraph." She ordered firmly.

Kalyvaaz gave a nod and jogged off back to the docking bay while Teira walked quickly to the medical ward of the ship. Her lips were pursed, and her jaw was clenched. Erunan followed her and also noticed a furrowed brow on her features. They were about half way there when she finally spoke.

"You really think we should bring up the idea of leaving earlier? I haven't even started my training..." She said quickly.

"Kalyvaaz will teach you what you need to know in the time he gets. I learned some fighting tricks from him a long time ago." Erunan assured. "You will be fine."

"That's not what I'm worried about." She sighed. "Seraph, if he survives this, won't recover in time if we leave early. He'll raise hell when he finds out he won't get to go, and I'm afraid he'll do what you did, and go anyway. I don't want that. Either he goes in good health, or he doesn't go at all."

Erunan gave a huff of understanding. "That is not something I can have a say in, Teira. That is between you and him."

"I know, that's what bothers me. He's looked after me for _years, _only to be told he can't join in the biggest fight the Tower has seen because some _sons-of-bitches_ decided they wanted to pull a dick move and hurt him." She hissed, obviously irritated. "I'm about as much of a daughter to him as he's a father to me. He won't like being told he can't go."

Finally the doors to the medical ward came into view. Teira pushed open the doors to see a couple Dregs already strapping the mutilated body of Seraph onto a portable bed. They chattered a bit as she walked in, backing off when he was safely strapped in. She nodded to them in thanks as Erunan took it upon himself to transport the Exo.

Teira didn't want to look at her friend, but at times she couldn't help but stare sadly at the damage the corrupted Guardians had done. He was a mess. No, that was an _understatement_. He was completely ruined. So much of his body was dented in, torn away, broken. He just looked so...

/

"Weak. Both of them were weak. Your plans failed, Reaper. It is a pity your generals had to pay the price. I should punish you, as well. Make you _beg_ for death for your failure!"

Reaper had no time to react when his leader grabbed him by the throat and lifted him with ease. The dark man snarled in his face, his eyes narrowed angrily.

"Tell me, Reaper. Give me _one _reason why I should not kill you here and now." He growled.

"You would have one less ally." Reaper replied with a sneer. "I still have my Vex cult to back me up. This battle is not lost yet. They only expect guardians, maybe even some Hive."

A moment of silence passed before Reaper was tossed to the floor effortlessly. He coughed a bit and rubbed his throat as his leader sat back down in his chair to view the screens before him.

"Yes, how could I forget..." The man muttered, locking his hands together as he stared over them. "You are right, we still have the upper hand, even with Ferro still alive... Let them come. We will be _ready_..."

Reaper glared at his leaders back and stood before he stalked out of the room. Once Reaper was gone, the man stood, and something in his armor shifted. He frowned and reached under his chest armor to pull out a small and crumpled piece of paper. He, curiously, unravelled it and stared at a tiny picture of a girl. She had to have been no more than ten years old in the picture, standing next to a young man-was that him?

He furrowed his brows and tilted his head as he tried to remember. He felt a sinking in his heart when he looked at the girls smiling face as she hugged her tiny arms around her strong brother. He brushed his thumb over her face, a headache already starting to form from trying to remember. Yet it bothered him that the memory of her was there, just unreachable.

After a while, he put the picture away with a sigh and folded his hands again as he watched the video feed of the tower from a distance.

/

"You are sure this is a good idea, Teira?"

"Just stick close to me, you'll be fine."

"You sound unsure."

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing, okay?... I think..."

"Do not forget to bend your knees."

"I know, I know."

The transport hummed and clicked as it came to a slow stop and the doors opened up. Teira sucked in a breath, paused a moment, then jumped down to the floor below. Several Guardians were crowded around, some with their weapons drawn and aimed at the transport. She lifted her hand at them, giving them a stern look.

"They're not here to hurt anyone. We have an injured Guardian on board that needs repairs, badly." She explained, causing most of them to hesitantly lower their weapons. Some of them muttered to each other as Kalyvaaz and Erunan prepared to lower Seraph to the ground. When the Exo's condition was seen, many of the Guardians gasped and shouted in alarm.

"Hey, outta the way! Comin' through!"

Teira lifted her head when she heard Starr push her way through the crowd. The female Exo approached quickly, but stopped short when she saw Seraph. She touched a finger to her "lips" in a gesture of shock.

"Oh God, I was told it was bad, but this... Those bastards got what they deserved..." She said darkly. "Anyway, we warned nearly everybody in the Tower right now. There's a repair team on standby in the lower levels. I've been sent to escort you all there."

"I'm glad you're here Starr." Teira said with a slight smile. "Better than having a stranger escort us. Lead on."

Starr gave a brisk nod then turned to face the crowd.

"Alright people, we've got a code red Guardian! Make way!" She shouted as she began to walk quickly.

Several Guardians parted a path for the small group as they rushed Seraph out of the docking bay and toward the clinic area. Many people gawked when they saw the two Fallen tailing the injured Seraph, obviously not having believed Starr and the others when they spread the warning. Starr led the group quickly and eventually they made it safely to the Exo wing of the clinic where some repair drones, as promised, were ready. They took Seraph quickly and advised Teira and the others to remain outside until further notice.

Teira frowned and began to pace, obviously still disturbed over her friend. Nearly ten minutes passed before Starr spoke up.

"Teira, you should go start your training." She said quietly. "Don't worry, I'll stay here and wait. I'll get you as soon as they say something. Okay?"

Teira blinked at her for a moment, then finally nodded with a heavy sigh. "Alright. I don't want to leave the Tower though..." She trailed off quietly.

"You can practice in the back courtyard."

Everyone looked up as the Speaker approached in his usual regal gait. Teira blinked.

"You... You mean that? I can train there?" She asked.

"Yes. I will instruct the Guardians here not to disturb you, or your friends. You are free to go." He said with a nod.

Teira's mood then lifted, and she gave a nod to the Speaker. "Thank you, Sir."

The Speaker returned the nod and Teira quickly walked off with Kalyvaaz and Erunan in tow. Starr remained there, and she leaned against a wall with her arms crossed. The Speaker lingered silently for a moment, staring in the direction of the door where Seraph had been taken.

"... They'll know we're coming." Starr said suddenly. "If we had corrupted Guardians hiding in the Tower, then they'll know when we will be attacking. I know Teira had to have thought of this. I would suggest moving our strike day a few weeks early. Catch them off guard."

"Yes, I can see why you say that." The Speaker sighed. "However, what day would be fitting? If we wait too long, the enemy will have more time to prepare, if we go too early, we may not be fully prepared ourselves."

"I know. Finding the right time will be tricky, for sure." Starr agreed. "Seraph won't like it if he doesn't get to fight..."

The Speaker could only chuckle quietly...

/

"Are you ready, Teira?"

Teira nodded slightly and put herself into a somewhat crouched stance. Her civil war sword gripped in her right hand as she stared Kalyvaaz down. He was poised to strike as well, but didn't move. It had been an hour since they dropped Seraph off at the clinic. So far she had learned different stances, and the next lesson was blocking strikes from the enemy.

"I will begin slowly, until you get the hang of it."

She nodded, only slightly aware of the Guardians standing at the archway, watching them. To them, all they heard was Fallen garble. To Teira, however, she had spent enough time around them to get a feel for their speech, so she understood most of what was being said.

Kalyvaaz lunged, although not at his full speed, and brought one of his swords down for her to block, which with some slight hesitation, she successfully blocked. The action repeated itself several times until she became more fluent in her blocking, and her reaction time became quicker. After a half-hour, she was blocking three strikes in under ten seconds.

The two stepped apart. Teira stood up straight, then gave a nod to him.

"Ready for a short break?" She asked in his language.

"If you feel the need, then yes."

She gave a nod. "Alright. I'm gonna go grab some water and check up on Seraph. I'll be back soon."

"We will be here." Erunan grumbled, somewhat cross that she refused to let him help in the training yet.

The two watched her leave, and Kalyvaaz gave a sigh before he put his weapons away.

"She is a fast learner." He stated, slightly impressed.

Erunan gave a nod of agreement. "At this rate, striking the moon early does not seem like an impossible goal. She will certainly be ready by the time we go there."

"I would hope so." Kalyvaaz said as he folded his upper arms. "How are you holding up?"

"My injuries are healing. I will be ready to fight again by the time we leave. The Exo, however... I am glad it was not me who was captured."

Kalyvaaz snorted quietly. "The ones who harmed him have been punished. All we can do now is wait."

"I am not worried personally for the Exo's well being." Erunan huffed, glancing away. "I only wish for his survival so that Teira can focus on the battle that grows nearer every day."

Kalyvaaz nodded, and the two stood in silence for a while until Teira returned. Then it was back to training for the remainder of the day. Teira got a taste of a bit of everything Kalyvaaz would be teaching her by the end of the few weeks they had left to prepare. There was quite a few lessons she had issues with, and they agreed to work on those first while they waited.

Many Guardians came and went by the doorway to the back balcony. They were given no attention by the girl and her alien allies as they trained together. Some didn't like the change that was going on, even if it was temporary. Others were more curious than they were angry. Either way, the little group was getting a lot of attention for the majority of the day that passed.

Once sunset hit, Starr finally emerged from the clinic and approached them. Teira paused the training, looking exhausted, but hopeful as the female Exo walked toward them.

"So what's the news? Is Seraph-"

"The repairs went through smoothly, they're working on rebooting his memory core now. He should be awake at least by tomorrow. Although the reports say that a lot of his memory was damaged from the head wound. He might not even remember that he's a Guardian."

Teira's face fell slightly. "So... He might not remember me either?"

"It's a possibility we can't ignore, Teira. At least he's alive." Starr said with a shrug.

"Yeah, I guess so." She sighed as she folded her arms. "Starr, are there living quarters here? I don't want to leave until I know Seraph is okay..."

"Sure thing kid. Come on, all three of you. I'll show you to where you can stay for tonight."

"Thank you Starr." Teira smiled, then yawned.

Starr chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"No problem, Teira."


End file.
